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Paths  in  the  wilderness 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2019  with  funding  from 
Princeton  Theological  Seminary  Library 


https://archive.org/details/pathsinwildernesOOspar 


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EMBARKING  FOR  AMERICA 


PATHS  IN  THE 
WILDERNESS 


A  Story  of  Lutheran  Pioneers  in 

Georgia 


By 

Rev.  C.  E.  Sparks 


Illustrated  by  Wm.  S.  Nortenheim 


PHILADELPHIA,  PA. 

THE  UNITED  LUTHERAN  PUBLICATION  HOUSE 


Copyright,  1923  ,  By 
The  Board  of  Publication  of 
The  United  Lutheran  Church  in  America 


Made  in  the  United  States  of  America. 


INTRODUCTION 


Paths  in  the  Wilderness  is  a  story 
based  upon  a  most  interesting  phase  of  the 
early  history  of  America  and  of  the  Lutheran 
Church  in  America. 

In  this  story  historical  characters  figure, 
and  distinctive  church  principles  are  taught. 
There  is  enough  of  fiction  and  of  story  inter¬ 
est  in  the  pages  to  hold  the  attention  of  any 
person,  young  or  old. 

Originally  published  as  a  serial  in  the  col¬ 
umns  of  “Lutheran  Young  Folks,”  the  his¬ 
torical  and  teaching  value  of  the  story,  as 
well  as  its  genuine  interest  have  suggested  its 
addition  in  book  form  to  the  permanent  liter¬ 
ature  of  the  Church.  This  is  the  explanation 
of  the  appearance  of  this  volume. 

An  air  of  mystery  surrounds  much  of  the 
history  of  colonial  days.  There  is  an  abun¬ 
dance  of  material  which  in  the  hands  of  the 
writer  of  fiction  would  prove  the  foundation 
of  many  interesting  and  instructive  stories. 
The  Rev.  C.  E.  Sparks  has  opened  a  new 

3 


4 


INTRODUCTION 


path  through  which  we  believe  others  will 
travel  in  finding  and  presenting  new  themes 
and  new  stories  which  teach  history  and  recall 
the  spirit  and  the  teachings  of  our  Church. 

We  do  not  hesitate  to  commend  this  vol¬ 
ume  both  to  young  and  old  and  express  the 
belief  that  it  will  prove  the  forerunner  of  a 
most  valuable  series  of  books  of  fiction  based 
on  events  and  facts  of  colonial  days. 

W.  L.  Hunton. 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 


CHAPTER  I. 

Home  Ties .  9 

CHAPTER  II. 

“Deep  Calleth  Unto  Deep'-’  .  24 

CHAPTER  IIP 

Home  Finding  .  37 

CHAPTER  IV. 

The  Trackless  Forest  .  51 

CHAPTER  V. 

Friends  New  and  Old  .  65 

CHAPTER  VI. 

The  Governor's  Strong  Hand  .  80 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Diplomacy  and  Intrigue  .  94 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Coals  of  Fire  . 107 

CHAPTER  IX 

The  Leading  of  God  . 120 


6 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  X. 

The  Power  of  the  Spirit  . 133 

CHAPTER  XL 

A  Great  Victory  . 146 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Home  Again . 159 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


Embarking  for  America . Frontispiece 

FACING  PAGE 

Harold  Confronting  Redfield  . 49 

Long  Bow  Talks  With  Harold .  65 

A  Sharp  Swish  and  Cry  of  Pain .  97 

The  Natives  Sitting  About  the  Campfire 

in  Silence  . 120 


He  Landed  Upon  the  Back  of  the  Spy 


146 


Paths  in  the  Wilderness 


CHAPTER  I 
Home  Ties 

It  was  a  bleak  November  day  in  the  year 
1733  that  a  young  man  of,  perhaps,  eigh¬ 
teen  or  nineteen  might  have  been  seen  walk¬ 
ing  aimlessly  along  the  streets  of  that  sea¬ 
port  city  of  England,  Dover.  His  thread¬ 
bare  coat  was  buttoned  closely  about  his 
neck,  and  his  ragged  cap  pulled  well  down 
over  his  face  in  a  vain  effort  to  shut  out  the 
raw,  chilling  wind  that  smote  him.  Harold 
Milman  was  walking  aimlessly  because  he 
did  not  know  where  to  go  or  what  to  do. 

He  had  just  seen  the  doors  of  a  debtors’ 
prison  close  behind  his  father,  and  he  did 
not  yet  have  the  heart  to  go  back  to  his 
mother  and  sister  in  the  poor  little  hovel 
from  which  he  knew  they  would  be  ejected 

9 


10 


PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


in  a  few  days.  Sickness  and  debt,  and  then 
the  inevitable  debtors’  prison  for  his  father, 
to  be  followed  now  by  the  breaking  up  of 
their  home,  was  the  spirit-crushing  burden 
that  he  was  trying  to  bear. 

“When  do  you  suppose  General  Ogle¬ 
thorpe  will  return  from  America?” 

Harold  lifted  his  head  and  looked  over 
his  shoulder.  Close  behind  him  were  two 
young  men  engaged  in  earnest  conversation. 

“In  his  letter  he  did  not  indicate  when  he 
would  come  home,  but  he  asked  me  to  be 
prepared  to  return  to  America  with  him  as 
his  secretary,”  was  the  reply  to  the  question. 

“That  is  a  great  scheme  of  Oglethorpe’s 
to  found  a  colony  in  the  New  World  for  the 
men  in  the  debtors’  prisons.” 

“Yes,  it  is  a  great  thing  to  give  such  men 
a  new  chance  in  life.” 

Here  was  something  that  certainly  inter¬ 
ested  Harold.  He  walked  slowly  on  before 
the  young  men,  with  ears  attentive  to  catch 
what  further  might  be  said. 

“What  does  your  brother  John  think  of 
your  going  to  the  colony  with  Oglethorpe?” 

“He  thinks  it  is  just  the  thing,  and  he  is 


HOME  TIES 


11 


planning  to  go  too,  and  be  a  missionary  to 
the  Indians.” 

“Do  you  think  that  will  break  up  our  lit¬ 
tle  society?” 

“It  ought  not,  and,  besides,  it  is  not  likely 
that  we  will  leave  before  some  time  next 
year.” 

“I  hear  that  a  party  of  Germans  are  to 
land  here  soon,  who  expect  to  go  to  Ogle¬ 
thorpe’s  colony.  They  are  some  Salzburgers 
whom  the  papists  are  driving  out.” 

“It  will  not  be  long  then  before  another 
ship  will  be  sailing  for  America.” 

Harold  straightened  himself.  A  sudden 
plan  flashed  into  his  mind.  Perhaps  there 
would  be  an  opportunity  for  his  father  to 
join  this  company  of  Germans  with  his  fam¬ 
ily  and  make  his  way  to  the  colony  in  the 
New  World.  What  a  great  thing  it  would 
be  to  have  an  opportunity  for  a  new  start  in 
life  !  At  first  he  had  not  thought  of  himself, 
but  as  he  began  to  build  air  castles  his  youth¬ 
ful  love  of  adventure  was  kindled.  As  a 
boy  he  had  often  thought  of  the  New  World 
as  he  listened  to  the  tales  of  that  wonderful 
land,  but  he  had  never  dared  to  hope  that 


12 


PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


some  day  he  would  be  able  to  go  there.  Sud¬ 
denly  an  impulse  seized  him,  and,  turning, 
he  spoke  to  the  young  men. 

“Pardon  me,  but  I  chanced  to  overhear 
you  speaking  of  General  Oglethorpe’s  col¬ 
ony  in  America.  I  would  like  to  ask  what 
are  the  necessary  steps  to  secure  the  release 
of  one  from  the  debtors’  prison  in  order  to 
join  the  colony.” 

“Well,  Charles,”  said  one  of  the  young 
men,  turning  to  his  companion,  “you  ought 
to  be  able  to  arrange  that.  You  are  in  such 
close  touch  with  the  movement.” 

“I  don’t  know  that  I  can  do  anything  my¬ 
self,”  said  the  young  man  addressed  as 
Charles,  smiling  kindly  at  Harold,  “but  I 
can  introduce  you  to  some  of  the  trustees  of 
the  colony,  who  will  be  glad  to  do  what  they 
can.” 

“I  would  appreciate  that,”  replied  Har¬ 
old  eagerly.  “Are  any  of  them  here  in 
Dover?” 

“Yes;  they  are  making  preparations  now 
to  receive  the  German  Salzburgers,  and  if 
you  have  a  little  time  to  spare  I  will  take 
you  to  them  now.” 


HOME  TIES 


13 


“That  will  please  me  greatly,  for  I  am 
anxious  to  act  at  once.” 

The  three  young  men  walked  along  briskly 
until  they  reached  an  office  near  the  wharf. 
Here  they  turned  in. 

“Good  morning,  Mr.  Wesley,”  greeted 
one  of  the  men  in  the  office  as  they  entered, 
“I  was  just  thinking  of  you.  Have  you 
reached  a  decision  yet  about  the  secretary¬ 
ship  of  which  General  Oglethorpe  wrote?” 

“Yes,  at  least  I  think  so.  Brother  John 
urges  me  to  accept,  and  he  wishes  to  ac¬ 
company  me  as  a  missionary  to  the  Indians.” 

After  a  little  further  conversation  Charles 
Wesley  (for  it  was  he)  introduced  Harold 
and  made  known  his  errand.  Harold  ex¬ 
plained  how  his  father,  on  account  of  sick¬ 
ness,  had  contracted  a  debt  for  which  he  was 
now  in  prison.  He  expressed  the  desire  that 
he  might  be  released  and  the  family  allowed 
to  accompany  the  Salzburgers  to  the  new 
colony.; 

The  trustee  questioned  Harold  closely 
concerning  all  the  circumstances.  At  last  he 
gave  the  assurance  that  he  thought  the  mat¬ 
ter  could  be  arranged.  He  then  gave 


14 


PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


Harold  some  instructions  and  dismissed  him. 

“I  would  like  for  you  to  meet  my  brother 
John,”  said  Charles  Wesley  as  they  left  the 
trustees’  office.  “He  will  doubtless  be  inter¬ 
ested  in  you,  since  you  are  to  go  to  America.” 

“I  am  quite  sure  I  shall  be  glad  to  meet 
the  brother  of  one  who  has  proven  to  be  such 
a  friend  in  need,”  replied  Harold. 

A  walk  of  several  blocks  brought  the  three 
young  men  to  the  lodging  place  of  the 
Wesley  brothers.  As  they  entered  the  room 
Harold  was  immediately  impressed  with  the 
seriousness  of  the  demeanor  of  John  Wesley. 
Yet  there  was  something  winning  about  his 
personality  that  strangely  attracted  him. 
His  eyes  flashed  eagerly  when  Charles  ex¬ 
plained  that  Harold  was  planning  to  depart 
for  America  along  with  the  company  of 
Salzburgers  who  were  soon  expected  to  land 
at  Dover. 

“I  had  hoped  to  be  in  that  company  my¬ 
self,”  he  said,  “but  since  Brother  Charles 
will  not  go  until  General  Oglethorpe  makes 
his  next  trip  I  shall  wait  until  then.” 

He  explained  his  deep  interest  in  an  effort 
to  carry  the  Gospel  to  the  savages  of  Amer- 


HOME  TIES 


15 


ica  and  his  hope  that  many  of  them  might 
be  won  to  Christianity.  From  this  the  con¬ 
versation  turned  to  personal  religious  ex¬ 
perience.  This  was  a  new  theme  for  Harold. 
He  had  always  held  religion  and  the  Church 
in  reverence,  but  had  thought  little  of  his 
own  personal  relation  to  Jesus  Christ.  In 
spite  of  his  indifference  he  found  himself  in¬ 
terested,  and  when  he  left  there  had  been 
opened  up  before  him  new  and  wider  fields 
for  thought  and  meditation. 

Harold  now  hastened  home.  He  was 
eager  to  bear  the  news  to  his  mother  and 
sister,  yet  he  had  some  misgivings  as  to  how 
they  would  receive  the  plan  to  join  the  colony 
in  the  New  World.  The  more  he  thought  over 
the  matter  the  more  he  hesitated  to  tell  them 
this  part  of  the  plan.  Still  he  realized  that 
this  was  the  only  hope  of  freeing  his  father 
from  the  foul  debtors’  prison.  His  mother, 
he  knew,  had  many;  ties  to  bind  her  to  her 
old  English  home.  Tender  memories,  friends 
and  associates  were  all  here.  She  was  little 
fitted  to  endure  the  hardships  of  a  pioneer’s 
life.  Before  their  present  misfortunes 
had  come  upon  them  she  had  known  many  of 


16 


PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


the  refinements  of  life.  All  these  things 
came  to  Harold’s  mind  as  he  made  his  way 
homeward. 

At  last  he  reached  the  little  hovel  which 
was  for  the  present  their  home.  Both  his 
mother  and  sister  had  plainly  been  weeping, 
but  now  had  composed  themselves.  His 
mother  smiled  bravely  as  he  entered. 

“Mother,”  he  began  hesitatingly,  “I  have 
some  strange  things  to  tell  you.  I  met  two 
most  peculiar  men  this  morning.  Their 
names  were  John  and  Charles  Wesley.” 

“Oh,  yes,  they  are  those  Methodists  of 
whom  I  have  heard  so  much  lately.  They 
have  been  making  quite  a  stir  in  the  old 
school  at  Oxford.” 

“Charles  I  met  on  the  street.  He  was 
such  a  kind,  friendly  man.  But  John  seems 
to  be  able  to  read  your  very  heart.  He  said 
such  strange  things  about  religion.  He 
seems  so  earnest  and  sincere,  yet  he  is  not 
satisfied  with  what  he  calls  his  personal 
experience.” 

“Yes,  I  have  heard  some  very  strange 
reports  about  their  ways.” 

“But,  mother,  I  am  forgetting  to  tell  you 


HOME  TIES 


17 


the  most  important  thing.  Charles  intro¬ 
duced  me  to  one  of  the  trustees  of  General 
Oglethorpe’s  colony,  of  which  we  have  been 
hearing  something.  You  know  General 
Oglethorpe  has  founded  a  colony  in  the  New 
World  for  the  inmates  of  the  debtors’  pri¬ 
sons.  A  company  of  Germans  are  to  sail  for 
that  colony  soon,  and  he  tells  me  that  he  be¬ 
lieves  that  he  can  secure  father’s  release  if 
we  will  join  the  party  and  accompany  them 
to  America.” 

Mrs.  Milman  gasped  and  turned  pale.  At 
first  Harold  was  not  sure  whether  it  was 
from  consternation  at  the  thought  of  facing 
the  dangers  and  hardships  of  a  life  in.  the 
New  World  or  at  surprise  at  the  opportunity 
of  securing  his  father’s  release.  However, 
she  did  not  leave  him  long  in  doubt. 

“Why,  Harold,”  she  sobbed  when  she  had 
sufficiently  recovered  to  be  able  to  speak,  “is 
there  really  a  chance  to  get  your  father  out 
of  that  foul  prison?  As  weak  as  he  is  from 
his  sickness  he  would  surely  die  there.  God 
hasn’t  forgotten  us  after  all.  We  haven’t 
been  as  true  to  Him  as  we  should  and  we 
do  not  deserve  His  mercy.  But  God  is 


18 


PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


merciful,  even  to  those  who  forget  Him 
sometimes.” 

“0  mother,  do  you  really  mean  that  we 
shall  go  to  the  colony  in  the  New  World?” 
exclaimed  the  girl,  who  had  been  eagerly 
listening  to  the  conversation  between  her 
mother  and  brother. 

“Yes,  Agnes,  when  God  so  clearly  shows 
His  guiding  hand  I  believe  that  we  ought 
not  to  refuse  to  follow  His  leading.” 

“But,  mother,”  broke  in  Harold,  “have 
you  thought  of  all  that  it  means  for  you  to 
go  to  that  wilderness  country  with  all  of  its 
hardships,  dangers  and  trials?  You  are  not 
strong,  and  have  never  been  accustomed  to 
such  a  life  as  that  will  be.” 

“Yes,  my  son,  I  know  all  of  those  things 
but  all  of  us  must  be  willing  to  sacrifice  for 
father’s  sake. 

Harold  now  told  them  of  all  the  instruc¬ 
tions  which  the  trustee  had  given  him,  and 
they  planned  eagerly  how  they  would  join 
the  company  of  Salzburgers  when  they  should 
sail  for  America. 

The  next  few  weeks  were  busy  ones  for 
the  Milrnan  family.  Through  the  influence  of 


HOME  TIES 


19 


the  trustee  Harold’s  father  was  released  from 
the  prison  and  allowed  to  assist  the  family 
in  their  preparations  for  the  voyage.  Har¬ 
old  also  on  several  occasions  met  the  Wes¬ 
leys,  who  continued  to  manifest  special  in¬ 
terest  in  him.  They  also  did  a  number  of 
helpful  things  for  the  family.  At  each  of  their 
meetings  John  especially  turned  the  con¬ 
versation  to  religious  topics.  It  was  evident 
that  he  was  intensely  interested  in  the  work 
of  the  Church  of  England  as  well  as  in  his 
own  personal  spiritual  condition. 

Harold  always  repeated  to  his  mother  the 
things  which  the  Wesleys  said  to  him  on  re¬ 
ligious  subjects,  and  it  was  due  to  her  clear 
explanations  that  he  was  able  to  grasp  many 
of  the  rather  abstruse  matters  which  were 
discussed.  Finally,  after  an  especially  earn¬ 
est  conversation,  Harold  urged  the  Wesleys 
to  come  to  his  home  that  his  mother  might 
discuss  some  of  these  matters  with  them. 
They  accepted  the  invitation  and  the  follow¬ 
ing  day  presented  themselves  at  the  Milmans’ 
humble  home. 

The  particular  subject  upon  which  the  con¬ 
versation  chanced  to  turn  was  that  of  the 


20 


PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


observance  of  the  rites  of  the  Church  as  a 
means  of  spiritual  development.  Both 
John  and  Charles  Wesley  considered  the 
strict  adherence  to  these  as  of  the  utmost 
importance. 

“These,”  said  John,  “have  been  given  us 
for  spiritual  comfort,  and  there  is  no  better 
way  to  grow  in  grace  than  to  follow  them 
carefully.” 

Mrs.  Milman  had  read  a  few  years  before 
Luther’s  treatise  on  “Christian  Liberty,”  and 
now  she  began  to  quote  from  it.  “Martin 
Luther  says:  ‘Works,  since  they  are  irra¬ 
tional  things,  cannot  glorify  God;  although 
they  may  be  done  to  the  glory  of  God,  if 
faith  be  present.’  All  kinds  of  Church  rites 
are  works,  which  will  in  no  way  help  our 
spiritual  life  unless  we  have  true  faith  in 
Jesus  Christ.  Like  Luther,  I  believe  that 
the  most  important  thing  for  spiritual  growth 
is  faith  and  trust  in  Jesus  as  our  Saviour. 
If  we  do  not  have  comfort  and  peace  it  is 
because  faith  is  lacking.” 

“Yes,  I  know,”  replied  Wesley,  “we  must 
have  faith,  and  Luther  has  certainly  done  a 
most  important  work  in  emphasizing  that 


HOME  TIES 


21 


great  truth.  However,  are  not  the  rites  and 
ordinances  of  the  Church  calculated  to  pro¬ 
mote  and  inspire  faith?” 

“That  is  true,”  replied  Mrs.  Milman,  “in 
just  so  far  as  these  rites  and  ordinances  teach 
the  Word  of  God.  Faith  comes  only  through 
the  Word.” 

Further  discussion  of  the  matter  was  in¬ 
terrupted  by  the  entrance  of  Mr.  Milman, 
who  announced  that  the  Salzburgers  were 
expected  to  land  in  Dover  the  next  day.  This 
meant  that  they  must  now  hasten  their  prepa¬ 
rations  for  the  voyage. 

As  the  Wesleys  took  their  leave  John 
turned  to  Harold.  “I  shall  expect  to'  meet 
you  in  the  colony  soon,  and  I  hope  to  have 
your  assistance  in  the  work  which  I  am 
planning.  There  surely  must  be  a  wide  field 
to  preach  the  Gospel  to  the  natives  in  Amer¬ 
ica.  From  what  I  can  learn  they  need  Chris¬ 
tianity  very  much.” 

“I  shall  not  forget  either  of  you,”  replied 
Harold  warmly.  “You  have  been  very  kind 
to  us  here,  and  if  I  can  return  the  favor 
when  you  reach  America  I  shall  certainly  do 
so.  I  trust  that  we  shall  meet  again.” 


22 


PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


When  the  next  day  dawned  Harold  was 
down  at  the  wharf.  In  the  growing  light 
he  could  see  the  ship  bearing  the  Salzburgers 
making  its  way  into  the  harbor.  It  was  sev¬ 
eral  hours  before  the  company  had  landed. 
The  trustees  of  the  Georgia  colony  cared  for 
them  as  best  they  could  and  provided  them 
with  shelter  until  the  ship  which  was  to  carry 
them  to  America  should  be  made  ready  for 
the  voyage.  There  were  only  a  few  English 
families  besides  the  Milmans  who  were  to 
go  on  the  same  ship,  and  Harold  at  once 
began  to  cultivate  the  acquaintance  of  these 
Germans.  He  undertook  to  teach  some  of 
them  to  speak  English,  while  they  in  turn 
helped  him  to  learn  German. 

The  one  thing  that  impressed  Harold 
especially  was  the  religious  spirit  and  piety 
of  these  people.  His  association  with  the 
Wesleys  had  aroused  his  interest  in  religion, 
but  he  had  never  met  any  people  who  seemed 
to  have  such  simple  faith  in  God  and  trust  in 
His  guidance  as  these  humble  Salzburgers. 
When  he  began  to  become  acquainted  with 
the  pastors  of  the  company  he  recognized  in 
them  the  fruits  of  the  teachings  of  Martin 


HOME  TIES 


23 


Luther,  which  his  mother  at  every  oppor¬ 
tunity  was  so  fond  of  quoting. 

At  last  the  day  came  when  the  voyage  to 
America  began.  As  the  ship  sailed  out  of 
the  harbor  Harold,  with  his  father,  mother 
and  sister,  stood  on  the  deck  with  their  eyes 
fixed  upon  the  shores  as  they  gradually  faded 
from  sight.  Mrs.  Milman  turned  away  with 
tears  in  her  eyes.  “That  is  home  yonder,” 
she  said,  “but  life  and  opportunity  are 
toward  the  setting  sun.” 


CHAPTER  II 


“Deep  Calleth  Unto  Deep” 

“See  the  path  that  the  setting  sun  makes 
upon  the  waters,”  said  Mr.  Milman,  as  he 
pointed  toward  the  west. 

“Yes,  that  path  leads  into  the  golden 
future,”  replied  his  wife.  “With  God’s  help 
it  will  lead  to  health  and  prosperity.” 

“It  is  the  path  to  the  New  World.  It 
leads  into  mystery,”  said  Agnes. 

“Oh,  no,”  said  Harold,  “it  leads  to  op¬ 
portunity.  Can  you  not  see  the  opportuni¬ 
ties  shining  and  glittering  and  leading  us  on? 
The  New  World  is  the  land  of  opportunity.” 

“What  different  things  different  eyes  see,” 
said  Pastor  Boltzius,  who  chanced  to  over¬ 
hear  the  comments  of  the  Milman  family. 
“How  much  we  would  miss  in  life  if  there 
was  nothing  more  than  what  we  ourselves 
see.  How  grateful  we  should  be  that  others 
can  point  out  what  we  miss.” 

The  sun  now  sank  below  the  horizon  and 

24 


“  DEEP  CALLETH  UNTO  DEEP” 


25 


the  captain  advised  the  colonists  to  go  to  the 
cabin  below.  The  first  few  days  of  the  voy¬ 
age  were  uneventful.  Favorable  winds 
carried  the  ship  swiftly  on  its  way.  The 
Milman  family  became  better  acquainted 
with  their  fellow-voyagers  as  the  days  wore 
on.  Mrs.  Milman  especially  enjoyed  the 
opportunity  to  discuss  religious  problems 
with  Pastor  Boltzius  or  Pastor  Gronau.  The 
simple  faith  and  meekness  of  these  humble 
exiles  was  an  inspiration  to  her.  She  could 
not  help  comparing  their  religious  life  with 
the  teachings  of  Luther  as  she  had  read 
them. 

Harold  soon  became  quite  friendly  with 
several  young  men  of  his  own  age.  They 
delighted  in  making  their  plans  for  the  life 
in  the  New  World.  They  had  plenty  of  time 
to  give  their  imagination  free  rein  and  to 
build  wonderful  air  castles.  The  mysteries 
of  the  trackless  forests,  the  savage  natives, 
the  wild  beasts  gave  plently  of  material  for 
dreams  and  fancies. 

It  was  an  afternoon  in  February  that 
Harold  and  two  of  his  companions  were 
standing  on  the  deck  near  the  bow.  They 


26 


PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


never  seemed  to  weary  of  watching  the  great 
expanse  of  the  ocean  with  its  gently  rolling 
waves.  The  skies  had  been  clear  and  the  sea 
comparatively  calm  thus  far  on  the  voyage, 
and  Harold  had  begun  to  lose  some  of  the 
dread  which  had  awed  him  when  he  listened 
to  the  tales  of  the  terrible  storms.  He  had 
almost  begun  to  think  that  these  accounts 
had  been  mere  sailors’  stories  and  not  reali¬ 
ties.  As  they  stood  gazing  over  the  vast 
expanse  one  of  the  young  men  exclaimed, 
“Isn’t  that  a  peculiar  cloud?”  The  other 
boys  followed  his  gaze  out  toward  the  north¬ 
west.  They  could  see  the  dark  outline  of  a 
cloud  just  rising  above  the  horizon.  As  they 
watched  it  with  a  strange  fascination  they 
saw  apparently  little  parts  of  the  cloud  break 
away  and  fly  scudding  across  the  sky. 

“Well,  that  is  strange,”  said  Harold.  “I 
never  saw  anything  like  that.  Say,”  he 
called  to  a  sailor  passing  them,  “do  you 
often  see  clouds  like  that?” 

The  sailor  paused  and  gazed  a  moment  in 
the  direction  indicated.  He  did  not  answer 
Harold’s  question,  but  called  excitedly  to  the 
officer  who  was  on  the  bridge  on  duty  at  that 


“  DEEP  CALLETH  UNTO  DEEP  ” 


27 


moment,  UA  squall  Is  coming.  See  there!” 

In  a  moment  all  was  excitement.  Sailors 
began  furling  the  sails.  The  passengers 
were  all  ordered  below  the  deck.  Harold 
and  his  companions  did  not  heed  the  com¬ 
mand  to  go  below  at  first,  and  in  the  hurry 
to  put  the  ship  in  shape  the  officer  did  not 
notice  them  as  they  stood  near  the  bow. 

The  skillful  sailors  worked  rapidly  and 
soon  the  ship  was  ready  for  the  coming 
storm.  Harold  was  watching  the  approach¬ 
ing  clouds  spellbound.  There  was  a  peculiar 
fascination  in  their  changing  forms  as  they 
billowed  and  rolled.  A  dark  mist  seemed  to 
shut  out  the  sea  as  the  clouds  moved  down 
upon  them.  First  a  cold  breath  of  air  began 
to  stir  the  rigging  of  the  ship.  Then  there 
was  a  dash  of  rain.  Suddenly  a  blast  of 
wind  smote  the  ship,  causing  it  to  careen. 
Then  great  waves  began  to  dash.  Harold 
found  it  impossible  to  keep  his  feet  on  the 
slippery  deck,  and  soon  he  and  his  com¬ 
panions  were  struggling  helplessly  on  their 
hands  and  knees. 

It  might  have  proved  a  serious  matter  for 
them  had  not  a  sailor  spied  them  in  their 


28 


PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


predicament  and  with  much  scolding  assisted 
them  to  get  below. 

Harold  found  his  mother  and  father  and 
Agnes  greatly  excited.  Until  they  saw  him 
they  were  sure  that  he  had  been  dashed  into 
the  sea.  His  present  safety, .  however,  did 
not  allay  their  fear  of  the  storm.  As  the 
ship  rolled  and  plunged  they  clung  to  each 
other,  expecting  the  deep  to  swallow  them  at 
any  moment.  It  seemed  almost  hours,  but 
finally  Harold  became  more  accustomed  to 
the  rolling  of  the  ship  and  began  to  look 
about  him.  He  was  at  once  struck  by  the 
calmness  of  his  fellow-passengers.  There 
seemed  to  be  no  fear  of  the  storm  among  the 
Salzburgers. 

“Why  should  we  fear?”  said  one  in  answer 
to  his  inquiry.  “God  is  on  the  sea  as  well 
as  on  the  land.  We  have  committed  our¬ 
selves  to  His  care.  If  it  is  His  will  to  take 
us  now  we  are  prepared  to  go.  He  does 
all  things  well,  and  if  we  only  trust  Him  all 
will  come  out  right.” 

“Yes,”  said  another,  “  ‘All  things  work 
together  for  good  to  them  that  love  the 
Lord.’  We  have  no  reason  to  doubt  that  He 


“  DEEP  CALLETH  UNTO  DEEP  ” 


29 


can  make  even  the  storm  to  bring  us  good.” 

“That  is  most  certainly  true,”  broke  in 
still  another,  “but  we  must  remember  that 
the  promise  is  to  them  that  love  the  Lord. 
It  is  no  wonder  that  the  unbeliever  should 
have  fear  and  trembling  at  such  a  time  as 
this.  When  one  does  not  believe  and  trust 
God  dangers  may  well  be  frightful.” 

“How  true  that  is,”  said  Mrs.  Milman. 
“I  fear  that  I  have  not  been  fully  trusting 
God.  Now  it  is  all  so  clear  and  plain  why 
you  people  do  not  have  any  fear  or  dread 
of  storms  and  waves.  You  have  certainly 
learned  well  the  lessons  taught  by  the  be¬ 
loved  reformer  Luther.  It  is,  after  all,  a* 
simple  matter  of  faith.” 

“Come,  brethren,  let  us  sing  a  hymn.”  It 
was  the  sonorous  voice  of  Pastor  Boltzius 
that  rose  above  the  roar  of  the  storm.  Soon 
the  deep  German  voices  rose  in  a  familiar 
tune  and  the  words  rang  out  like  a  shout  of 
triumph : 

“An  exile  poor,  and  nothing  more, 

This  is  my  sole  profession, 

Banished  from  home,  of  God’s  pure  Word 
To  make  a  clear  confession. 


30 


PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


O  Jesus  mine,  I  know  full  well 
This  is  the  way  Thou  wentest, 

Thy  steps  we’ll  follow,  dearest  Lord, 

And  bear  what  Thou  hast  sent  us.” 

Just  as  the  hymn  was  finished  there  was 
a  crash  and  water  rushed  into  the  cabin. 
Agnes  screamed  and  clung  to  her  mother. 
Harold  looked  about  fearfully.  The  Salz¬ 
burgers  gave  little  heed  to  the  catastrophe, 
but  above  it  all  could  be  heard  the  voice 
of  Pastor  Gronau  raised  in  prayer.  The 
Milmans  were  expecting  the  ship  to  sink  with 
the  next  plunge,  but  they  were  reassured  by 
the  voice  of  a  sailor  telling  them  that  the 
accident  was  simply  one  of  the  hatches  giv¬ 
ing  way  when  a  larger  wave  than  usual  had 
broken  over  the  deck. 

It  was  not  long  before  the  storm  had 
spent  its  greatest  fury,  but  it  continued  with 
diminishing  force  for  several  days.  Through 
it  all  the  Salzburgers  maintained  their  cheer¬ 
ful  spirits. 

On  the  morning  of  the  fourth  day  the  sun 
rose  clear  and  bright.  Although  the  sea 
was  still  rough,  the  captain  allowed  Harold 
and  several  other  young  men  to  go  on  deck. 


“  DEEP  CALLETH  UNTO  DEEP” 


31 


It  was  a  new  aspect  of  the  sea  that  greeted 
their  eyes.  The  great  waves  still  caused  the 
ship  to  roll,  but  during  the  storm  they  had 
learned  how  better  to  keep  their  footing. 
Some  of  the  sails  were  now  set  and  the  ship 
was  making  good  progress  on  its  westward 
voyage.  The  rising  sun  sent  its  glittering 
rays  over  the  rolling  waves,  which  seemed 
to  reveal  the  sea  in  all  of  its  majesty  and 
power. 

“The  sea  is  great.  It  fascinates  me,”  said 
Harold  to  one  of  his  companions. 

“Yes,  the  sea  is  powerful.  Nothing  can 
stand  before  it.  Yet  God  holds  it  subject 
to  His  will.” 

“Deep  calleth  unto  deep  at  the  noise  of  his 
waterspouts;  all  thy  waves  and  thy  billows 
have  gone  over  me.  Yet  the  Lord  will  com¬ 
mand  his  loving  kindness  in  the  daytime,  and 
in  the  night  his  song  shall  be  with  me,  and 
the  prayer  unto  the  God  of  my  life.” 

Harold  turned.  It  was  Pastor  Boltzius 
who  was  standing  beside  them.  He  also  was 
looking  out  over  the  sea  with  its  great  roll¬ 
ing  billows.  “Pastor,  how  is  it  that  you  al¬ 
ways  have  such  confident  trust  that  you  are 


32 


PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


never  afraid  in  any  danger  on  sea  or  land?” 

Boltzius  looked  at  Harold  kindly.  “When 

we  have  done  all  that  we  are  able  to  do  for 
our  own  safety,  is  there  anything  more  that 
we  can  do?” 

“No;  certainly  not.” 

“If  we  have  done  all  that  we  can  for  our¬ 
selves  what  is  there  left  for  us  to  do  but  to 
trust  in  God?” 

“That  is  true,  but  will  that  keep  the  storm 
from  sinking  the  ship?” 

“That  may  not  keep  the  storm  from  sink¬ 
ing  the  ship,  but  do  you  not  believe  that  God 
is  perfectly  good?” 

“Yes,  surely  God  is  good,  but  we  know 
that  storms  do  destroy  ships  and  drown 
people.” 

“If  God  is  good  and  He  is  able  to  make 
all  things  work  together  for  good  to  them 
that  love  Him,  do  you  not  believe  that  if 
He  allows  your  life  to  be  taken  that  He  is 
able  to  give  you  eternal  life  in  heaven?  Is 
not  eternal  life  worth  more  than  this  mortal 
life?” 

“Yes,  I  suppose  that  is  true,  but  I  had 
never  thought  of  it  in  that  way.  We  always 


“DEEP  CALLETH  UNTO  DEEP  ” 


33 


wish  to  cling  to  this  life  and  are  willing  to 
sacrifice  almost  anything  to  preserve  it.” 

“It  is  all  in  having  perfect  love  and  trust. 
If  we  love  God  we  have  His  promise  and 
we  know  that  His  promises  are  sure.  We 
know  that  He  will  always  do  what  is  best 
for  us.” 

“Yes,  I  see  it  is  that  same  faith  of 
which  mother  has  been  telling  me  so  much 
recently.” 

“Yes,  my  son,  it  is  simple  faith.” 

At  this  point  their  conversation  was  inter¬ 
rupted  by  a  number  of  Salzburgers  coming 
forward.  One  of  them  was  evidently  spokes¬ 
man  for  the  others,  for  he  stepped  forward 
and  addressed  Boltzius. 

“Pastor,  a  number  of  us  have  been  talk¬ 
ing  over  our  affairs  this  morning.  We  feel 
that  our  colony  should  have  someone  who 
can  be  our  business  representative.  Most 
of  us  are  little  experienced  in  business  mat¬ 
ters.  You  have  proven  such  a  good  spiritual 
guide  that  we  believe  that  you  are  the  best 
one  to  be  our  leader  in  business  matters.  We 
can  at  least  trust  you  to  deal  honestly 
with  us.” 


34 


PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


Boltzius  did  not  reply  at  first,  but  turned 
and  gazed  intently  for  a  few  moments  out 
over  the  sea.  Then  he  murmured  to  him¬ 
self:  “Thy  ways,  O  God,  are  myterious  and 
past  finding  out.  Into  Thy  hands  I  have  put 
my  life.  Do  with  me  as  Thou  seest  fit.” 
Then  he  turned  to  the  simple  Salzburgers. 
“Brethren,  it  is  a  vast  responsibility  that  you 
have  placed  upon  me,  as  well  as  a  remarkable 
compliment  which  you  have  paid  me.  With 
God’s  help  I  will  do  the  best  I  can.” 

The  men  thanked  him  and  with  an  air  of 
confidence  walked  away. 

As  the  days  now  passed  the  sailors  began 
to  assure  the  passengers  that  they  were  ap¬ 
proaching  the  end  of  their  voyage.  All  were 
eager  to  reach  the  New  World,  which  they 
hoped  would  be  the  land  of  peace  for  them. 
As  they  thought  of  the  many  trials  which  they 
had  endured  they  looked  forward  with  keen 
anticipation  to  the  new  life  which  was  now 
before  them. 

Most  of  the  colonists  now  spent  the  greater 
part  of  the  day  on  deck.  The  sea  was  com¬ 
paratively  calm  again  and  gentle  breezes  bore 
the  ship  steadily  forward.  It  was  a  day  in 


“DEEP  CALLETH  UNTO  DEEP  ” 


35 


March,  in  the  evening,  when  all  but  a  few 
young  men  had  gone  below.  Harold  stood 
gazing,  as  was  his  wont,  out  over  the  waves. 
His  face  was  turned  westward  and  he  was 
thinking  of  what  the  future  had  in  store.  In¬ 
stinctively  his  mind  turned  to  that  promise 
of  the  Word  which  he  had  heard  quoted  so 
often  during  the  voyage.  “All  things  work 
together  for  good  to  them  that  love  the 
Lord,”  he  murmured  to  himself.  “Surely 
it  must  be  true.  Things  have  been  working 
together  for  good  to  us.  I  haven’t  loved  the 
Lord  as  I  should,  but  God  has  doubtless  been 
merciful  to  us  for  mother’s  sake.” 

“See  that  cloud!”  exclaimed  one  of 
Harold’s  companions  excitedly,  pointing  out 
across  the  sea.  “Does  that  mean  another 
storm?” 

Harold  looked  where  his  companion  was 
pointing,  but  in  the  gathering  darkness  could 
not  see  very  distinctly.  He  hailed  one  of 
the  passing  sailors  and  called  his  attention 
to  it.  The  sailor  looked  at  it  intently  and 
then  quickly  climbed  into  the  rigging  to  gain 
a  better  view. 

“Land!”  he  shouted,  “Land!” 


36 


PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


In  a  moment  the  whole  ship  was  in  com¬ 
motion.  The  sailors  rushed  eagerly  to  gain 
a  view.  The  colonists  came  hurrying  on 
deck.  Soon,  however,  the  gathering  dark¬ 
ness  shut  out  the  welcome  sight.  Reluctantly 
they  went  below  again.  It  was  late,  how¬ 
ever,  before  any  of  them  went  to  sleep,  so 
great  was  the  excitement  over  the  near  ap¬ 
proach  of  the  end  of  their  voyage.  At  last 
all  became  quiet  and  even  Harold  fell  asleep. 

The  sun  was  shining  brightly  when  he 
awoke  the  next  morning.  He  hurried  on 
deck.  At  once  he  discovered  that  the  ship 
was  entering  a  harbor.  They  were  making 
slow  progress  as  the  wind  was  light.  In  the 
distance  Harold  could  see  a  cluster  of  build¬ 
ings  on  a  point  of  land  that  seemed  to  jut 
out  into  the  water. 

A  sailor  standing  by  observed  Harold  in¬ 
tently  gazing  at  the  settlement.  “That  is 
Charleston,”  he  said,  “our  first  landing  place 
in  the  New  World.” 


CHAPTER  III 


Home  Finding 

“Welcome  to  the  New  World.” 

Harold  had  been  watching  so  intently  the 
sailors  as  they  were  making  the  landing  that 
he  had  not  noticed  a  stranger  who  had  come 
on  board  and  was  now  addressing  Pastor 
Boltzius.  As  he  turned  and  saw  this  man 
with  a  military  bearing  grasping  the  hand  of 
Pastor  Boltzius  he  instinctively  knew  that 
this  was  no  other  than  General  Oglethorpe. 

“It  will  not  take  many  days  to  reach 
the  colony  at  Savannah,”  he  continued.  “The 
ship  has  cargo  to  discharge  here,  and  then 
we  will  proceed  down  the  coast.” 

General  Oglethorpe  was  true  to  his  word, 
for  five  days  later  the  colonists  found  them¬ 
selves  comfortably  camped  in  tents  on  a  bluff 
overlooking  the  Savannah  River,  where  they 
were  to  remain  until  the  permanent  location 
for  the  settlement  should  be  decided  upon. 
This  was  a  matter  for  which  only  a  few  days 

37 


38 


PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


were  required.  The  grateful  Salzburgers 
were  not  hard  to  satisfy  and  Boltzius  and 
Oglethorpe  quickly  came  to  an  agreement. 
Twenty-five  miles  up  the  river  it  was  decided 
to  found  a  settlement  to  be  known  as  New 
Ebenezer.  Hither  they  prepared  to  take 
their  journey. 

The  time  had  now  come  for  the  Milmans 
to  decide  whether  they  would  remain  with 
the  Salzburgers  or  join  the  English  colony 
at  Savannah.  During  the  voyage  they  had 
formed  many  warm  friendships  among  their 
fellow-passengers  and  they  all  urged  the 
English  family  to  remain  with  them.  Pastor 
Boltzius  especially  insisted  that  he  desired  to 
have  them  as  members  of  his  flock.  How¬ 
ever,  on  account  of  the  fact  that  they  had 
always  been  accustomed  to  English  customs, 
they  decided  that  it  would  be  better  to  re¬ 
main  in  Savannah. 

“If  you  decide  to  join  us  later  we  shall 
be  glad  to  welcome  you,”  said  Pastor  Bolt¬ 
zius,  as  the  Milmans  bade  the  Salzburgers 
farewell.  The  latter  now  took  up  their  jour¬ 
ney  into  the  wilderness. 


HOME  FINDING 


39 


The  same  provision  had  been  made  for 
the  Milmans  as  had  been  made  for  the  other 
members  of  the  party  which  had  come  over 
at  the  same  time,  so  they  were  now  ready  to 
begin  life  anew.  They  continued  to  live  in 
their  tent  until  they  could  make  provision  for 
a  permanent  habitation. 

Harold  and  his  father  at  once  proceeded 
to  make  themselves  better  acquainted  with 
the  settlement  in  which  they  found  them¬ 
selves.  The  older  settlers  welcomed  them 
most  cordially  and  wished  to  spend  many 
hours  talking  about  affairs  in  the  home  land. 

Mr.  Milman,  realizing  that  the  season  was 
already  far  advanced,  immediately  began 
casting  about  for  a  tract  of  land  upon  which 
to  build  his  house.  There  were  a  number 
to  choose  from,  and  it  was  not  difficult  to 
find  an  attractive  location  overlooking  the 
river.  They  moved  the  tent  to  this  location 
and  began  preparing  the  ground  for  plant¬ 
ing.  It  was  their  purpose  to  occupy  the  tent 
until  the  planting  had  been  made,  and  then 
give1  their  time  to  the  building  of  a  perma¬ 
nent  house.  Mr.  Milman  had  been  gaining 
strength  rapidly  and  he  and  Harold  found 


40 


PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


it  a  pleasant  occupation  to  prepare  the  soil, 
even  though  the  labor  was  exacting.  When 
night  would  come  they  were  glad  for  the  op¬ 
portunity  for  refreshing  rest.  Each  day  was 
one  of  new  revelations  to  Harold.  He  had 
engaged  in  many  day  dreams  concerning  this 
New  World  while  they  had  been  making 
preparation  for  the  voyage,  but  he  found  it 
necessary  to  reconstruct  his  conceptions  very 
materially. 

After  locating  the  Salzburgers  at  Eben- 
ezer,  Oglethorpe  returned  to  Savannah  and 
prepared  to  make  a  trip  to  England.  It  was 
his  purpose  to  gather  a  new  company  of  col¬ 
onists.  He  had  been  so  favorably  impressed 
with  the  thrift  and  industry  of  the  Salzburg¬ 
ers  that  he  determined  to  secure  more  of 
them  if  possible. 

Oglethorpe  had  been  absent  on  his  voyage 
to  England  several  days  when  the  Milmans 
received  a  call  from  one  of  the  older  colo¬ 
nists.  Already  Harold  had  observed  that 
very  few  of  their  neighbors  showed  any  great 
amount  of  industry.  They  were  allowing 
the  time  for  planting  crops  to'  go  by  unim¬ 
proved--  They  seemed  to  spend  most  of  their 


HOME  FINDING 


41 


time  in  idleness  or  wandering  about  in  the 
surrounding  forest. 

“Good  evening,”  greeted  their  caller  as 
he  seated  himself  on  the  log  where  he  found 
them  resting.  The  tent  had  been  pitched  in 
the  shade  of  a  large  pine  tree.  “You  people 
are  working  pretty  hard,  it  seems  to  me.” 

“Well,  yes,”  replied  Mr.  Milman,  “but 
that  is  what  we  expected  when  we  came.  One 
cannot  get  on  in  a  new  country  without 
work.” 

“I  am  not  going  to  kill  myself  at  work 
in  this  blazing  sun.  We  might  as  well  have 
stayed  in  England  if  we  have  to  do  that.” 

“Oh,  I  guess  it  does  us  good  to  work,” 
broke  in  Harold.  “For  my  part  I  am  thank¬ 
ful  for  an  opportunity  to  make  a  living.” 

“I  don’t  call  this  country  much  of  an  op¬ 
portunity.  It  is  too  hot  here  for  a  white 
man  to  work,  and  Oglethorpe  won’t  allow 
us  to  have  any  Negro  slaves.  Up  in  Caro¬ 
lina  they  have  Negroes  to  do  the  work,  but 
down  here  Oglethorpe  expects  us  to  swelter 
and  die.  He  even  goes  so  far  as  to  take 
all  of  the  pleasure  out  of  life  by  forbidding 
us  to  have  any  rum.” 


42 


PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


“Do  you  think  it  right  to  makes  slaves  of 
the  Negroes?”  asked  Mrs.  Milman,  who  had 
come  to  the  tent  door  to  listen  to  the  con¬ 
versation. 

“What  else  do  you  think  they  are  for? 
The  Lord  must  have  made  them  for  a  pur¬ 
pose,  and,  if  it  isn’t  to  work,  what  is  it?” 

“Surely  you  do  not  think  that  the  Lord 
approves  of  going  over  to  Africa  and  bring¬ 
ing  those  people  here  just  to  be  slaves? 
Surely  they  have  souls  even  if  they  do  have 
black  skins.” 

“White  men  can’t  work  in  this  country, 
and  if  the  Lord  wants  the  work  done  He 
must  have  intended  that  the  Negroes  do  it.” 

“Oh,  I  guess  white  men  can  work  in  this 
country  if  they  want  to  very  bad,”  said 
Harold,  who  was  getting  thoroughly  dis¬ 
gusted  with  their  caller.  “We  have  been 
working  and  are  still  alive  and  are  feeling 
better  every  day.” 

“You  will  be  wiser  after  you  have  been 
here  as  long  as  I  have,”  replied  the  visitor, 
assuming  an  air  of  superior  knowledge  and 
experience.  “What  I  came  over  for  was  to 
tell  you  that  we  older  colonists  have  made 


HOME  FINDING 


43 


up  our  minds  not  to  submit  any  longer  to 
some  of  the  foolish  rules  of  Oglethorpe.  We 
don’t  propose  to  kill  ourselves  working. 
Oglethorpe  brought  us  to  this  God-forsaken 
country  and  now  he  can  take  care  of  us.” 

“You  can  do  as  you  please,”  retorted 
Harold  somewhat  hotly.  “We  came  here  to 
work  and  not  to  loaf.” 

“Very  well,  do  as  you  like.  You  can  make 
fools  of  yourselves  if  you  want  to,  but  I 
advise  you  to  join  in  with  the  rest  of  us,  who 
are  going  to  make  a  stand  for  our  rights.” 
The  caller  then  languidly  arose  and  strolled 
away. 

“Well,  what  do  you  think  of  that?”  ex¬ 
claimed  Harold  as  their  visitor  disappeared. 
“Such  people  as  that  do  not  deserve  to  have 
a  chance  in  the  world.” 

“I  have  been  observing  for  several  days,” 
said  Mr.  Milman,  “that  most  of  the  people 
in  this  settlement  are  shiftless  and  indolent. 
Evidently  they  would  not  work  when  they 
were  back  in  England  and  they  won’t  work 
now.” 

“No,  I  haven’t  been  very  well  pleased  with 
the  character  of  our  neighbors  either,”  said 


44 


PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


Mrs.  Milman.  “They  all  seem  so  careless.” 

The  next  day,  Harold,  who  had  gone  on 
an  errand  to  the  store  returned  in  a  state  of 
perplexity:  “Father,  I  don’t  understand 
what  is  the  matter.  None  of  the  men  whom 
I  met  would  speak  to  me.” 

“Is  that  true?  Well,  I  suppose  it  means 
that  they  are  going  to  ostracize  us  because 
we  will  not  join  them  in  their  movement 
against  Oglethorpe.  If  he  were  here  they 
wouldn’t  dare  to  take  the  stand  they  do.  They 
realize  that  if  we  continue  to  be  industrious 
it  will  disprove  their  contention  that  white 
men  can’t  work  in  this  climate.  They  want 
to  compel  us  to  join  them.” 

“I  wish  we  had  gone  with  the  Salzburg¬ 
ers,”  said  Agnes.  They  were  so  kind  to  us, 
and  I  am  sure  they  are  not  so  discontented 
and  lazy  as  these  people.” 

“Father,  why  can’t  we  go  up  to  their  set¬ 
tlement  yet?”  exclaimed  Harold.  “You  know 
Pastor  Boltzius  invited  us  to  join  them  any 
time.” 

Mr.  Milman  looked  out  over  the  tract  of 
land  upon  which  they  had  been  working  so 
diligently.  Already  there  was  a  marked  con- 


HOME  FINDING 


45 


trast  between  their  tract  and  those  of  most 
of  the  other  settlers,  who  were  too  indolent 
to  care  for  their  land  or  cultivate  it.  “I 
hate  to  allow  all  of  this  work  to  go  for 
nothing,”  he  slowly  answered,  “yet  I  know 
there  will  not  be  much  satisfaction  in  trying 
to  live  among  these  shiftless  people.” 

“Let  us  think  it  over  and  pray  for  God’s 
guidance,”  said  Mrs.  Milman.  “He  will 
make  all  things  work  together  for  good.”  ' 

The  subject  was  dropped  for  the  time.  In¬ 
stead  of  continuing  the  work,  Mr.  Milman 
spent  the  remainder  of  the  day  making  some 
quiet  investigations  among  the  settlers.  The 
matter  was  not  brought  up  again  until  the 
next  morning.  Then,  after  careful  and  thor¬ 
ough  consideration,  it  was  decided  to  move 
from  the  Savannah  settlement  to  Ebenezer. 
Harold  was  to  make  a  trip  to  consult  with 
Pastor  Boltzius  and  to  secure  a  location.  A 
trip  of  twenty-five  miles  through  the  forest 
was  not  a  very  attractive  prospect,  but  still 
the  spirit  of  adventure  lured  him  on. 

Harold  spent  the  next  day  making  prepa¬ 
ration  for  the  journey.  He  provided  him¬ 
self  with  the  things  he  considered  necessary 


46 


PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


for  the  trip,  made  a  neat  bundle  of  them  and 
was  ready  to  set  out  in  the  morning. 

Harold  rose  early,  bound  his  pack  upon 
his  back  and  set  out  along  the  trail  which 
had  been  made  when  the  Salzburgers  had 
made  their  journey.  He  had  turned  to  wave 
a  farewell  when  about  to  get  beyond  sight 
of  the  tent,  but  had  not  gone  much  further 
when  he  found  himself  face  to  face  with  the 
visitor  of  a  few  days  before. 

“Hello,”  he  greeted,  “so  you  have  decided 
that  it  is  not  best  to  work  so  hard  after  all, 
I  see.  Where  are  you  bound  so  early?” 

The  very  sight  of  the  man  aroused  Har¬ 
old’s  resentment.  As  he  looked  into  his  eyes 
he  saw  an  expression  of  sly  cunning  that 
seemed  to  warn  him  to  take  care.  He 
had  seen  very  little  of  the  man  since  land¬ 
ing,  but  knew  that  he  went  by  the  name  of 
Bill  Redfield.  His  first  impulse  was  to  tell 
|thq  fellow  to  attend  to  his  own  business  if 
he  had  any.  However,  his  better  judgment 
told  him  not  to  manifest  his  resentment 
openly.  After  a  moment’s  hesitation  he  re¬ 
plied,  “I  am  just  taking  a  little  trip  up  the 

n 


river. 


HOME  FINDING 


47 


“What  do  you  know  about  the  country 
up  the  river?”  There  was  a  tone  of  inso¬ 
lence  in  his  voice. 

“I  don’t  know  anything  yet,”  replied 
Harold  calmly.  “I  am  just  trying  to  find 
out  something.” 

Redfield  looked  him  over  shrewdly.  “Well, 
you  had  better  be  careful  that  the  Indians 
do  not  get  you.” 

“I  guess  the  Indians  are  not  very  danger¬ 
ous,”  replied  Harold,  as  he  passed  on. 

He  glanced  over  his  shoulder  after  he  had 
gone  a  short  distance,  and  was  somewhat 
startled  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  Redfield  dis¬ 
appearing  in  the  underbrush  beside  the  trail. 
Why  should  he  be  doing  that,  wondered 
Harold.  What  could  be  his  purpose? 

Harold  tramped  steadily  on.  Sometimes 
the  trail  led  along  the  banks  of  the  river, 
where  he  had  a  clear  view  of  the  stream. 
At  other  times  it  left  the  river  and  led 
through  dense  growths  of  pine  trees.  Much 
of  the  way  the  trail  was  rough  and  the  walk¬ 
ing  tiresome.  The  sun  had  just  about  reached 
the  zenith  and  Harold’s  stomach  also  told 
him  that  it  was  approaching  the  time  for  the 


48 


PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


mid-day  meal  when  he  found  his  way  barred 
by  a  rather  large  stream.  It  was  evident 
that  there  was  a  ford  at  this  place,  but  the 
stream  was  now  much  swollen  by  recent 
rains.  He  sounded  the  stream  with  his  staff 
and  was  soon  convinced  that  it  would  be 
a  dangerous  matter  to  attempt  to  cross  by 
fording.  He  looked  about  for  a  few  mo¬ 
ments,  but  as  he  saw  no  immediate  way  of 
solving  the  difficulty  he  decided  to  eat  his 
lunch  before  attempting  the  crossing. 

He  took  the  pack  from  his  back  and  opened 
his  lunch  and  proceeded  to  refresh  himself. 
After  he  had  eaten  his  lunch  he  realized  that 
the  half  day  of  steady  walking  had  tired 
him,  so  he  sat  resting  with  his  back  against 
a  pine  tree.  Before  he  realized  it  he  had  al¬ 
most  fallen  asleep.  Suddenly  he  started  up, 
wide  awake.  What  had  awakened  him  he 
did  not  know,  but  he  had  that  mysterious 
feeling  that  sometimes  tells  a  person  that  a 
human  presence  is  near.  After  the  first 
start  he  sat  still,  listening.  All  was  quiet  but 
the  rustle  of  the  breeze  among  the  trees  or 
the  occasional  chirp  of  a  bird.  Still  he  felt 
that  peculiar  sensation  of  being  watched. 


£: 


HAROLD  CONFRONTING  REDFIELD 


HOME  FINDING 


49 


Who  was  it?  There  came  to  his  mind  Red- 
field’s  sarcastic  warning  about  Indians.  Still 
he  knew  that  the  Indians  were  all  friendly 
to  the  settlers.  He  knew  that  the  head  chief 
of  this  region  had  accompanied  Oglethorpe 
on  his  voyage  to  England  and  that  no  hostil¬ 
ity  had  ever  been  shown.  With  these 
thoughts  he  dismissed  all  fear  of  Indians. 
As  he  sat  listening  there  came  the  sound  of  a 
cracking  twig  from  the  underbrush.  Quick 
as  a  flash  he  sprang  to  his  feet  and  rushed 
into  the  thicket  from  which  the  sound  came. 
As  he  broke  through  the  bushes  there  was  a 
scramble  and  the  figure  of  a  man  started  to 
run,  but  tripping  over  a  trailing  vine  he  fell 
sprawling.  The  figure  scrambled  to  its  feet 
again,  but  Harold  with  a  bound  stood  con¬ 
fronting  Bill  Redfield. 

The  first  expression  of  fear  on  the  face 
of  the  man  soon  gave  place  to  one  of  cun¬ 
ning  defiance.  For  a  moment  the  two  stood 
regarding  each  other  in  silence.  It  was  an 
awkward  situation,  but  Redfield  was  the  first 
to  speak. 

“Well,  what  do  you  want?” 

“That  is  just  what  I  would  like  to  know 


50 


PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


from  you,”  replied  Harold,  his  anger  rising. 
“What  business  have  you  following  me?” 

“Oh,  I  guess  I  have  as  much  right  in  this 
country  as  you  have,  and  if  my  business  takes 
me  in  the  same  direction  as  you  are  going, 
what  concern  is  it  of  yours?”  was  the  inso¬ 
lent  rejoinder. 

“Well,  then,  why  don’t  you  come  out  in  the 
open  like  an  honest  man,  instead  of  hiding 
and  trying  to  run  away  like  a  thief?” 

“Oh,  you  needn’t  begin  to  preach  about 
honesty.  I  guess  your  dad  was  in  jail  as  well 
as  some  of  the  rest  of  us,”  was  the  taunting 
slur. 

Harold  could  restrain  himself  no  longer, 
and  with  a  bound  threw  himself  upon  the 
man  before  him. 


CHAPTER  IV 


The  Trackless  Forest 

The  struggle  was  a  short  one.  Redfield 
was  taken  off  his  guard  by  the  suddenness  of 
Harold’s  onslaught.  He  was  quickly  borne 
to  the  ground,  and  with  Harold’s  knee  upon 
his  chest  was  soon  begging  for  mercy. 

“Well,  you  may  go  on  about  your  busi¬ 
ness,  but,  mind  you,  keep  your  hands  off  my 
affairs  hereafter,”  was  Harold’s  admonition 
as  he  released  the  scoundrel,  who  at  once 
slunk  away. 

Harold  now  turned  his  attention  to  devis¬ 
ing  means  for  crossing  the  stream.  As  he 
looked  about,  he  spied,  some  distance  up 
stream,  a  large  tree  that  apparently  over¬ 
hung  the  creek.  After  some  difficulty  be 
made  his  way  through  the  undergrowth  and 
reached  it.  He  discovered  that  by  ascend¬ 
ing  this  tree  and  climbing  out  upon  one  of 
the  large  branches  he  could  drop  safely  to 
the  opposite  bank.  The  execution  of  this  plan 

51 


52 


PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


was  the  matter  of  only  a  few  minutes. 

Soon  Harold  found  himself  in  difficulty. 
The  trail  which  he  had  been  following  had 
not  been  a  very  distinct  one.  He  was  not 
accustomed  to  making  his  way  through  for¬ 
ests,  and  consequently  it  was.  not  surprising 
that,  laboring  under  the  excitement  of  his 
recent  clash  with  Redfield,  he  should  be 
somewhat  bewildered  when  he  tried  to  take 
up  the  trail  again.  It  was  some  time  before 
he  would  acknowledge  to  himself  that  he  was 
lost.  He  had  gotten  away  from  the  stream 
in  his  effort  to  locate  the  trail.  When  he 
finally  realized  that  he  was  lost  he  was  at 
first  seized  by  a  panic  and  began  to  rush  aim¬ 
lessly  hither  and  thither.  The  more  he 
rushed  about,  the  more  bewildered  he  be¬ 
came.  Finally,  out  of  breath  from  his  fruit¬ 
less  efforts,  he  sat  down  upon  a  fallen  tree 
trunk  to  rest.  As  he  sat  here  he  began  to 
regain  his  composure.  With  a  mighty  effort 
he  compelled  himself  to  think,  clearly.  He 
made  up  his  mind  that  the  only  way  was  to 
go  back  to  the  place  where  he  had  crossed 
the  stream  and  get  his  bearings  from  that 
point.  When  he  started  up  to  carry  out  this 


THE  TRACKLESS  FOREST 


53 


plan  he  realized  that  he  had  absolutely  no 
idea  in  which  direction  the  stream  lay.  Again 
he  sat  down  to  think.  A  ray  of  sunlight  sift¬ 
ing  through  the  trees  fell  at  his  feet.  He 
glanced  up.  He  saw  that  the  sun  was  sink¬ 
ing  near  the  horizon.  “Surely,”  he  said  to 
himself,  “the  sun  does  not  set  in  the  north  in 
this  country.  If  the  sun  sets  in  the  west, 
then  that  must  be  west,”  he  thought,  though 
he  would  have  declared  that  it  was  north. 
“I  have  crossed  that  stream,  so  I  must  be 
west  of  it.  Therefore  the  stream  must  be 
east  of  me  and  the  Savannah  River  north.” 
Then  he  remembered  that  he  had  heard  that 
a  person  who  was  lost  traveled  in  a  cir¬ 
cle.  “Now,  if  I  am  to  get  back  to  that 
stream  I  must  be  careful  and  not  travel  in  a 
circle.  If  I  set  out  and  keep  the  sun  at  my 
back  I  will  keep  going  east  and  I  shall  come 
to  the  stream.” 

At  once  he  set  out,  taking  care  to  keep  the 
sun  at  his  back.  His  progress  was  slow  and 
at  last  it  began  to  grow  dark.  He  realized 
that  he  must  now  make  camp  and  wait  until 
morning. 

Harold  was  thankful  that  he  had  brought 


54 


PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


the  necessary  things  in  his  pack  for  camp¬ 
ing  and  was  so  well  prepared.  Because  of 
this  wise  provision  he  was  able  to  pass  the 
night  comfortably.  The  fire  which  he  kin¬ 
dled  gave  him  a  sense  of  security  and  safety 
from  any  prowling  beasts  which  might  be  in 
the  neighborhood.  When  the  light  of  the 
rising  sun  awakened  him  the  next  morning 
he  felt  refreshed  and  his  brain  was  clear. 
He  thought  out  his  plan  of  action  carefully. 
He  would  travel  toward  the  rising  sun  until 
he  reached  the  stream  which  had  caused  his 
difficulties.  Then  he  would  follow  its  course 
toward  the  Savannah  River.  If  he  were  not 
able  to  find  the  trail  which  he  had  lost  he 
would  proceed  on  until  he  reached  the  river. 
He  was  confident  that  if  he  followed  the 
course  of  the  river  he  would  at  last  reach 
the  settlement  of  the  Salzburgers. 

Having  made  his  plans  he  ate  his  break¬ 
fast  with  a  new  relish.  He  was  just  finish¬ 
ing  his  meal  when  he  heard  a  rustling  in  the 
undergrowth  and  the  next  moment  an  Indian 
appeared  coming  toward  him.  The  Indian 
held  out  his  hand  with  a  friendly  gesture, 
repeating  “How,  how.”  Harold  realized 


THE  TRACKLESS  FOREST 


55 


that  this  was  his  visitor’s  attempt  to  give  an 
English  greeting,  but  this  was  evidently  the 
only  English  word  he  had  learned.  How¬ 
ever,  he  began  making  signs  which  Harold 
interpreted  to  be  an  inquiry  of  how  he  came 
to  be  there.  After  numerous  attempts  at 
sign  making  he  finally  seemed  to  make  the 
Indian  understand  that  he  was  on  his  way 
from  Savannah  to  the  settlement  up  the 
river,  but  had  been  lost.  The  Indian  also 
made  him  understand  that  he  had  discov¬ 
ered  him  from  the  fire  which  he  had  built. 
The  Indian  offered  his  hand  as  a  token  of 
friendship  and  motioned  him  to  follow. 

As  his  self-appointed  guide  glided  noise¬ 
lessly  through  the  forest,  Harold  followed. 
He  watched  him  carefully  and  soon  began  to 
learn  how  he,  too,  could  make  his  way  with¬ 
out  noise.  Harold  trusted  his  new  friend 
fully  and  felt  confident  that  he  would  reach 
Ebenezer  in  good  time. 

They  had  gone  some  distance  when  the 
Indian  stopped  and  pointed  to  a  trail  through 
the  forest  and  by  signs  explained  that  it  was 
the  one  leading  to  the  settlement.  Harold 
realized  that  had  he  been  alone  he  would 


56 


PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


scarcely  have  recognized  it  as  the  one  which 
he  had  lost.  They  now  followed  the  trail 
instead  of  making  their  way  through  the 
undergrowth,  and  consequently  their  prog¬ 
ress  was  much  more  rapid.  The  native  led 
the  way  in  silence.  Occasionally  he  would  by 
signs  call  Harold’s  attention  to  something 
along  the  way,  but  seemed  intent  on  making 
as  rapid  progress  as  possible. 

They  were  evidently  approaching  the  set¬ 
tlement  and  Harold  was  experiencing  a  sense 
of  relief  at  coming  to  the  end  of  his  journey. 
Suddenly  the  guide  stopped,  and  with  a  sign 
for  silence,  stepped  into  the  undergrowth  be¬ 
side  the  trail.  Without  hesitation  Harold 
followed  the  example  of  his  companion  and 
concealed  himself.  In  a  few  moments  he 
heard  the  footsteps  of  someone  coming. 
Peering  through  the  bushes  he  was  surprised 
to  see  the  form  of  Bill  Redfield  coming  from 
the  direction  of  Ebenezer. 

Harold  and  his  companion  waited  quietly 
until  Redfield  had  passed  by.  What  Redfield 
could  have  been  doing  at  Ebenezer  was  a 
mystery.  Then  the  thought  came  to  him 
that  the  scoundrel  had  been  attempting  to 


THE  TRACKLESS  FOREST 


57 


follow  him  again.  He  evidently  surmised 
that  Harold  was  on  his  way  to  Ebenezer  and 
for  some  reason  wanted  to  discover  what  his 
visit  meant.  On  account  of  Harold’s  losing 
his  way  Redfield  had  also  lost  track  of  him. 
“Perhaps  it  wTasn’t  such  a  great  misfortune 
after  all,  to  get  lost,”  thought  Harold  to 
himself.  “If  that  was  the  means  of  throw¬ 
ing  that  fellow  off  my  trail  the  delay  has  been 
worth  while.” 

When  the  sound  of  Redfield’s  footsteps 
died  away  in  the  distance  the  native  mo¬ 
tioned  to  Harold  and  they  continued  their 
journey.  It  was  still  an  hour  or  more  till 
sunset  when  they  came  in  sight  of  the  settle¬ 
ment.  The  Indian  pointed  to  the  build¬ 
ings  and  tents  and  prepared  to  leave.  Harold 
— by  signs — endeavored  to  express  his  grati¬ 
tude  to  the  native,  who  merely  shook  hands 
as  he  departed. 

It  did  not  take  Harold  long  to  find  Pastor 
Boltzius.  At  once  he  told  him  his  errand. 
He  related  the  experiences  which  they  had 
at  Savannah  and  how  the  shiftlessness  and 
indolence  of  the  colonists  there  made  their 
stay  unpleasant.  He  also  gave  a  detailed 


58 


PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


account  of  the  part  played  by  Bill  Redfield. 

“Redfield?”  asked  Boltzius.  “I  wonder 
if  that  was  the  fellow  who  was  here  this 
morning.” 

“Yes,  no  doubt,  for  we  saw  him  on  the 
trail  just  before  we  reached  the  settlement.” 

“We?”  questioned  Boltzius.  “I  thought 
you  were  alone.” 

Harold  then  related  his  experience  in  get¬ 
ting  lost  and  the  assistance  given  him  by  the 
Indian. 

You  were  fortunate  to  find  so  good  a 
friend.  The  natives  here  are  indeed  good 
people,  if  they  only  knew  Christ.  We  must 
try  to  teach  them  the  Word  of  God.” 

“But  what  was  Redfield  doing  here?” 

“Oh,  he  was  trying  to  persuade  us  that 
we  ought  to  have  Negro  slaves.  He  says 
the  white  men  cannot  stand  the  labor  in 
this  climate  and  that  if  we  expect  to  succeed 
we  must  do  as  they  do  in  Carolina  and  Vir¬ 
ginia,  have  Negroes  do  the  work.  He 
believes  that  if  we  all  insist,  Oglethorpe 
will  yield  and  grant  the  privilege  of  having 
slaves.” 

“What  do  you  think  of  his  ideas?”  asked 


THE  TRACKLESS  FOREST 


59 


Harold,  who  was  beginning  to  understand 
something  of  the  activities  of  Redfield. 

“I  don’t  agree  with  him  at  all.  I  believe 
that  white  men  can  labor  here  if  they  will 
only  take  care  of  themselves.  Then,  too,  I 
do  not  believe  that  it  is  the  Christian  spirit 
to  make  slaves  of  our  fellow-men.” 

“That  is  just  what  I  think,  and  father  and 
mother  feel  the  same  way  about  it.  We  felt 
sure  that  you  would  not  approve  of  such 
notions.  That  is  the  principal  reason  why 
we  want  to  join  this  settlement.” 

“We  shall  surely  be  glad  to  have  you.  We 
will  welcome  you  to  our  midst.  When  you 
make  the  trip  I  would  advise  that  you  come 
by  boat,  as  that  will  be  the  easiest  way  to 
transport  your  goods.” 

Harold  spent  the  night  at  Ebenezer  and 
set  out  again  for  home.  He  experienced  no 
difficulty  in  keeping  the  trail  on  the  home¬ 
ward  trip.  The  water  in  the  swollen  stream 
which  had  caused  his  difficulties  on  his  first 
journey  had  subsided  so  that  he  had  no  dif¬ 
ficulty  in  crossing  at  the  ford. 

When  he  reached  home  and  gave  an  ac¬ 
count  of  his  experiences,  his  father,  mother 


60 


PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


and  Agnes  were  greatly  interested,  especially 
when  he  told  of  his  clash  with  Redfield. 

“I  am  sorry  for  that,”  said  Mr.  Milman. 
“Redfield  seems  to  have  great  influence  with 
the  colonists  here  and  I  am  afraid  he  will  use 
that  influence  to  make  it  unpleasant  for  us.” 

“I  believe  that  I  know  what  is  Redfield’s 
purpose,”  said  Harold.  “I  believe  that  he  is 
planning  to  engage  in  the  slave  trade  in  some 
way  and  he  wants  to  introduce  slaves  into 
this  colony.” 

“Yes,  I  think,  too,  that  is  his  purpose,” 
said  Mrs.  Milman.  “Evidently  he  will  not 
like  us  because  we  do  not  believe  in  slavery.” 

“I  hope  that  General  Oglethorpe  will  not 
let  him  have  his  way,”  said  Agnes.  “If  he 
were  here  I  do  not  believe  that  Redfield 
would  dare  to  do  some  of  the  things  that 
he  does.” 

“Yes,”  it  is  unfortunate  that  the  General 
should  be  away  just  now,”  replied  her  father. 
“So  many  of  these  people  are  easily  influ¬ 
enced  and  they  are  only  too  ready  to  fall  in 
with  anything  that  promises  to  relieve  them 
of  the  necessity  of  working.” 

“I  am  glad  that  we  can  go  to  Ebenezer,” 


THE  TRACKLESS  FOREST 


61 


said  Mrs.  Milman.  “I  believe  that  we  shall 
find  things  more  congenial  there.  I  wish 
now  that  we  had  gone  with  them  at  first.” 

“Yes,  I  didn’t  realize  the  character  of  the 
people  we  should  find  here.  Still  I  might 
have  known  if  I  had  stopped  to  think  that 
they  are  made  up  of  people  taken  out  of 
prison.  We  might  expect  most  of  them  to 
be  shiftless  and  improvident.  The  Salz¬ 
burgers  seem  so  different.  I  heard  General 
Oglethorpe  say  that  he  hoped  he  could  get 
many  more  like  them.” 

“They  don’t  believe  in  slavery,”  said 
Harold.  “Pastor  Boltzius  says  that  it  is  not 
according  to  the  spirit  of  Christ  to  make 
slaves  of  our  fellow-men.” 

“I  was  sure  that  he  would  take  that  view,” 
said  his  mother.  “Pastor  Boltzius  seems  to 
be  such  a  sincere  Christian.  I  have  missed 
his  uplifting  Christian  exhortations  so  much 
since  he  left.” 

The  Milmans  made  their  preparations  for 
departure  quietly.  They  did  not  wish  Bill 
Redfield  to  discover  their  plans  any  sooner 
than  necessary.  They  well  realized  that  he 
was  capable  of  going  to  any  length  to  cause 


62 


PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


them  inconvenience.  The  night  before  they 
were  ready  to  start  Mr.  Milman  hired  a 
boat  from  one  of  the  officers  of  the  colony, 
but  did  not  tell  him  for  what  purpose  it  was 
to  be  used. 

It  was  not  a  large  task  to  load  their  few 
belongings  on  the  boat  the  next  morning  and 
set  out  upon  the  trip  up  stream.  It  was  hard 
work  to  row  against  the  current,  but  Mr. 
Milman  and  Harold  were  well  fitted  for  the 
task.  They  realized  that  it  would  take  more 
than  one  day  to  reach  Ebenezer  and  they  had 
planned  to  tie  up  the  boat  and  camp  at  night 
on  the  bank. 

They  had  just  gotten  well  under  way  when 
the  form  of  Bill  Redfield  appeared  on  the 
shore.  He  stood  gazing  after  them  for  some 
time. 

“Well,  I  wonder  what  he  thinks  now,” 
said  Harold,  as  he  watched  the  fellow  gaz¬ 
ing  after  them.  “I  suspect  he  is  wondering 
where  we  are  going  and  planning  how  he  can 
make  trouble  for  us.  I  am  glad  he  does  not 
have  any  influence  at  Ebenezer. 

The  whole  family  enjoyed  the  trip  up  the 
river.  Even  Mr.  Milman  and  Harold,  in 


THE  TRACKLESS  FOREST 


63 


spite  of  the  work  of  rowing,  enjoyed  the 
beauties  of  the  shores  on  either  hand.  The 
stately  pine  trees  that  crowned  the  bluffs,  the 
majestic  live  oaks  with  their  branches  clothed 
in  moss,  the  tangled  mass  of  vines  and  un¬ 
dergrowth,  with  the  birds  flitting  here  and 
there,  combined  to  make  the  scene  one  of 
wild  abandoned  beauty. 

As  the  sun  began  to  sink  toward  the  hori¬ 
zon  the  voyagers  began  to  cast  about  for  a 
place  to  camp.  At  last  they  spied  a  little 
cove  where  there  was  a  small  open  space  on 
the  bank.  Here  they  tied  their  boat  to  a 
small  tree  and  prepared  to  make  themselves 
comfortable.  A  fire  was  built,  the  evening 
meal  prepared  and  the  tent  set  up. 

When  the  time  came  to  go  to  sleep  for  the 
night  Harold  decided  that  he  would  sleep  in 
the  boat,  while  the  others  occupied  the  tent. 
Wearied  with  the  labors  of  the  day,  all  were 
soon  soundly  sleeping.  They  had  left  a  fire 
burning  to  keep  away  any  prowling  beasts, 
so  all  felt  a  sense  of  security.  All  were 
happy  that  they  would  soon  be  among  con¬ 
genial  friends  and  wrould  be  free  from  the 
irritations  and  annoyances  which  had  made 


64 


PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


their  stay  in  Savannah  so  very  uncomfortable. 

Harold  did  not  know  how  long  he  had 
been  sleeping  when  he  suddenly  wakened 
with  a  start.  The  boat  had  received  a  jar, 
and  as  he  lay  quiet  he  could  feel  it  apparently 
striking  against  some  object.  At  first  his 
mind  was  not  clear  enough  to  realize  just 
where  he  was,  but  in  a  moment  he  remem¬ 
bered  that  the  boat  had  been  tied  to  a  tree 
and  he  could  not  think  of  any  object  against 
which  it  could  be  striking.  He  sat  up.  It 
was  a  clear,  starlight  night,  and  in  a  moment 
he  was  aware  that  the  shore  was  some  dis¬ 
tance  away.  He  looked  about  for  the  camp 
fire,  but  it  was  nowhere  in  sight.  The  boat 
was  adrift  and  going  down  stream.  He 
looked  about  again  and  discovered  that  the 
object  against  which  the  boat  had  struck  was 
the  trunk  of  a  tree,  which  was  drifting  down 
stream  also.  How  could  this  have  happened? 
Harold  knew  that  he  had  tied  the  boat 
securely.  He  reached  over  the  bow  and 
drew  in  the  rope  which  had  fastened  the 
boat  but  was  now  trailing  in  the  water.  In 
a  moment  he  discovered  that  it  had  been  cut. 


LONG  BOW  TALKS  WITH  HAROLD 


CHAPTER  V 


Friends  New  and  Old 

Harold’s  mind  now  began  to  work  rapid¬ 
ly.  In  a  moment  all  was  clear  to  him.  Bill 
Redfield  had  evidently  followed  them,  on 
shore,  and  when  he  thought  they  were  all 
sound  asleep  in  the  tent  had  set  their  boat 
adrift.  It  was  evident  that  his  vindictive¬ 
ness  knew  no  bounds.  Doubtless,  too,  it  was 
his  purpose  to  secure  the  boat  next  morning 
and  appropriate  the  contents  for  himself. 

“Well,  it  is  fortunate,”  said  Harold  to 
himself,  “that  I  slept  in  the  boat  this  time.” 

Just  how  long  the  boat  had  been  adrift, 
or  how  far  he  was  below  the  camping-place, 
he  did  not  know.  However,  he  realized  that 
it  would  be  best  not  to  lose  more  time.  Con¬ 
sequently  he  put  out  the  oars  and  began  to 
row  back  up  stream. 

It  was  becoming  light  and  the  others  had 
just  awakened  when  he  came  in  sight  of  the 
camp.  He  found  that  they  had  been  very 

65 


66 


PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


much  alarmed  when  the  absence  of  the  boat 
was  discovered,  but  their  relief  was  quite  evi¬ 
dent  at  seeing  him  coming  up  stream  again. 

“Who  do  you  suppose  could  have  done 
that?”  asked  Mr.  Milman,  when  Harold 
showed  him  how  the  rope  had  been  cut. 

“Redfield,  of  course,”  replied  Harold,  “or 
someone  that  did  it  for  him.  You  know  he 
will  do  anything  to  injure  us.” 

The  remainder  of  the  journey  to  Ebene- 
zer  was  uneventful.  The  simple-hearted 
Salzburgers  welcomed  their  friends  most 
hospitably.  The  many  neighborly  acts  of 
helpfulness  which  they  rendered  enabled  the 
Milmans  to  become  comfortably  settled  in  a 
short  time.  The  contrast  which  they  noted 
between  this  colony  and  the  one  at  Savannah 
was  quite  striking.  Thrift  and  industry  were 
apparent  on  every  hand,  and  the  atmosphere 
of  the  community  was  most  congenial.  The 
settlers  made  everything  revolve  about  their 
religious  life.  The  church  was  the  center  of 
the  community  and  all  were  most  faithful 
and  loyal  in  their  worship. 

The  months  passed  rapidly  for  the  Mil- 
mans.  The  clearing  and  cultivating  of  their 


FRIENDS  NEW  AND  OLD 


67 


land  kept  them  busy.  Occasionally  some 
of  the  Salzburgers  would  make  a  trip  down 
to  Savannah,  but  they  always  brought  back 
news  of  the  dissatisfaction  which  prevailed 
there.  Very  few  of  the  settlers  would  do 
any  work,  and  they  were  continually  com¬ 
plaining  because  they  were  not  allowed  to 
have  slaves,  as  they  did  in  Virginia  and  Caro¬ 
lina.  Then,  too,  they  were  making  efforts 
to  smuggle  in  rum,  which  Oglethorpe  had 
forbidden  the  colony.  Occasionally  some 
trader  would  bring  in  a  supply  of  liquor,  and 
then  there  would  be  a  drunken  carousal 
among  the  settlers. 

“I  am  certainly  glad  we  came  here,”  said 
Agnes  one  day,  after  hearing  one  of  these 
reports  from  Savannah. 

“Perhaps  things  will  be  different  when 
General  Oglethorpe  gets  back,”  said  Mrs. 
Milman. 

“It  is  time  for  him  to  make  haste  if  he 
expects  the  Savannah  settlement  to  amount 
to  anything,”  answered  the  husband. 

In  spite  of  the  discontent  of  the  people  of 
Savannah  and  the  many  plots  formed  by  cer¬ 
tain  individuals,  the  colony  at  Ebenezer  con- 


68 


PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


tinued  to  prosper.  The  Salzburgers  did  not 
allow  the  happenings  at  the  older  settlement 
to  disturb  their  tranquility,  but  they  pursued 
the  even  tenor  of  their  way,  carefully  culti¬ 
vating  and  improving  their  farms. 

Jjc  ifc  ifc  * 

More  than  a  year  had  passed  since  the 
Milmans  had  joined  the  colony  at  Ebenezer. 
Several  times  the  Indian  who  had  befriended 
Harold  had  appeared  at  the  settlement.  He 
came  for  the  purpose  of  trading  with  the 
settlers,  and  on  each  occasion  he  seemed 
pleased  to  meet  Harold.  He  soon  learned 
to  converse  with  him  in  broken  English.  He 
went  by  the  name  of  Long  Bow,  because  of 
his  skill  with  the  native  weapon. 

One  day  Long  Bow,  who  had  been  to 
Savannah  on  a  trading  trip,  brought  the  news 
that  General  Oglethorpe  was  soon  expected. 

“Many  palefaces  come  with  him,”  said 
Long  Bow  to  Harold.  “That  make  much 
trade  for  me.” 

The  Indians  were  always  anxious  to  dis¬ 
pose  of  their  furs  for  the  goods  which  the 
settlers  had  to  give  in  exchange,  and  many 
of  them  would  come  long  distances  to  reach 


FRIENDS  NEW  AND  OLD 


69 


the  settlements.  Harold  was  rapidly  form¬ 
ing  the  acquaintance  of  the  Indians  and  was 
establishing  a  profitable  business  trading  with 
them.  Pastor  Boltzius  was  making  an  effort 
to  teach  the  natives  who  came  to  the  set¬ 
tlement  some  of  the  fundamentals  of  religion, 
even  though  the  care  of  his  own  flock  took 
the  greater  portion  of  his  time. 

One  day  a  visitor  from  Savannah  brought 
the  word  that  General  Oglethorpe  was  ex¬ 
pected  within  a  few  days.  Harold  decided 
that  he  would  go  down  to  Savannah  to  meet 
the  company.  He  recalled  that  the  Wesleys 
expected  to  be  with  the  General  at  this  time. 
He  remembered  the  enthusiasm  with  which 
John  Wesley  looked  forward  to  the  oppor¬ 
tunity  to  do  missionary  work  among  the 
natives.  Harold  felt  sure  that  he  would  be 
able  to  be  of  substantial  assistance  to  him  in 
this  undertaking,  on  account  of  his  acquain¬ 
tance  among  the  Indians. 

The  next  day  Harold  set  out  for  Savan¬ 
nah.  He  made  the  trip  down  the  river  in  a 
canoe.  He  had  not  seen  Bill  Redfield  since 
moving  from  Savannah  to  Ebenezer,  but  he 
had  frequently  heard  of  his  activities  in  stir- 


70 


PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


ring  up  discontent  among  the  colonists.  It 
was  also  a  matter  of  common  report  that  he 
was  engaged  in  smuggling  rum.  It  was, 
therefore,  a  surprise  to  Harold,  when  he 
landed  at  Savannah,  to  come  face  to  face  with 
this  individual.  In  the  two  years  of  pioneer 
life  Harold  had  grown  broad-shouldered  and 
strong,  so  that  Bill  Redfield,  although  he  still 
held  an  old  grudge,  did  not  deem  it  wise  to 
shown  open  hostility,  but  rather  to  manifest 
a  semblance  of  friendship. 

“Hello,”  he  greeted,  “haven’t  seen  you  for 
a  long  time.  How  is  everything  over  at 
Ebenezer  ?” 

Harold  met  his  advances  cautiously,  but 
without  a  show  of  resentment.  He  did  not 
care  to  antagonize  this  leader  among  a  cer¬ 
tain  class  of  Savannah  settlers,  but  at  the 
same  time  he  could  not  help  having  a  feeling 
of  suspicion.  He  answered  the  greeting  civ¬ 
illy,  but  his  thought  was  that  the  fellow  would 
bear  watching. 

The  greater  part  of  the  population  of 
Savannah  was  at  the  river  bank,  for  a  short 
time  before  a  ship  had  been  sighted  entering 
the  river  mouth,  and  everyone  believed  it  to 


FRIENDS  NEW  AND  OLD 


71 


be  the  one  bearing  General  Oglethorpe  and 
the  new  colonists.  Harold  waited  in  the  crowd 
until  the  ship  made  the  landing,  and  it  soon 
became  apparent  that  the  surmise  had  been 
correct.  General  Oglethorpe  and  the  Wes¬ 
leys  were  among  the  first  to  come  ashore. 
The  Wesleys  were  very  much  pleased  to  meet * 
Harold  again,  though  they  did  not  at  first 
recognize  him  on  account  of  the  change  that 
two  years  of  pioneer  life  had  made  in  his 
appearance. 

“What  do  you  think  of  the  opportunity 
for  missionary  work?”  asked  John,  after  the 
excitement  of  the  landing  was  over. 

“To  my  mind  it  is  most  excellent,”  replied 
Harold.  “Pastor  Boltzius  has  already  been 
doing  some  of  that  kind  of  work,  but  he  does 
not  have  much  time  to  give  to  it.” 

The  company  with  General  Oglethorpe 
were  principally  Salzburgers,  so  he  planned 
to  take  them  at  once  to  the  colony  at  Ebene- 
zer.  After  some  discussion  with  Harold, 
John  Wesley  also  decided  to  visit  Ebenezer, 
as  he  felt  sure  that  this  would  be  the  best 
starting-point  for  his  missionary  enterprise. 

A  few  days  later  found  John  Wesley  at 


72 


PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


Ebenezer.  He  consulted  Pastor  Boltzius 
concerning  his  undertaking,  and  also,  through 
the  friendship  of  Harold,  had  the  oppor¬ 
tunity  of  meeting  Long  Bow.  The  native  was 
quite  reserved  in  the  presence  of  this  stranger 
paleface,  and  became  stolidly  silent  when  he 
attempted  to  discuss  religious  matters.  Long 
Bow  was  interested  in  trading,  but  cared 
very  little  about  religion.  He  had  formed 
an  attachment  for  Harold,  because  he  had 
found  him  strictly  honest  in  all  of  his  deal¬ 
ings  and  because  there  was  a  personal  sym¬ 
pathy  between  them.  Long  Bow  was  ready 
to  trade  with  anyone,  but  he  was  not  ready  to 
give  enough  of  his  confidence  to  strangers  to 
discuss  religion  with  them.  He  was  perfect¬ 
ly  willing  to  show  reverence  toward  the  white 
man’s  worship,  but  he  was  not  ready  to  fol¬ 
low  that  worship  himself. 

Wesley  remained  at  Ebenezer  for  a  num¬ 
ber  of  days.  On  Sunday  he  worshipped  with 
the  colonists.  After  service  he  and  Harold 
tarried  for  a  conversation  with  Pastor 
Boltzius. 

After  discussing  the  outlook  for  mission¬ 
ary  work  among  the  Indians,  in  which  Pas- 


FRIENDS  NEW  AND  OLD 


73 


tor  Boltzius  was  quite  as  much  interested  as 
Wesley,  the  conversation  turned  to  theologi¬ 
cal  matters.  Wesley  at  this  time  held  the 
views  of  the  extreme  High  Church  party 
among  the  Anglicans,  and  consequently  there 
was  some  difference  of  opinion  between  the 
two  men.  However,  both  possessed  a  sweet 
Christian  spirit,  and  neither  allowed  any 
touch  of  bitterness  to  enter  into  the  discus¬ 
sion.  In  fact,  a  firm  friendship  sprang  up 
between  them,  which  lasted  through  their 
whole  life.  Finally  the  subject  of  the  apos¬ 
tolic  succession  was  mentioned. 

“What  do  you  mean  by  apostolic  succes¬ 
sion?”  broke  in  Harold.  The  matters  under 
discussion  were  of  a  theological  character 
with  which  he  was  not  familiar  and  he  wished 
to  learn  more  of  them. 

Boltzius  turned  to  Wesley  to  give  the  re¬ 
ply,  who  answered :  “The  apostolic  succes¬ 
sion  means  that  each  minister  is  ordained 
by  a  bishop,  who  in  turn  has  been  ordained 
by  another  bishop,  and  thus  a  succession  is 
traced  back  from  one  bishop  to  another 
to  the  first  ordination  by  the  apostles. 
The  validity  of  ordination,  then,  depends 


74 


PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


upon  being  able  to  trace  this  apostolic  suc¬ 
cession.  The  proper  administration  of  the 
sacraments  also  depends  upon  the  validity  of 
ordination.” 

“I  understand  now,”  said  Harold,  “but 
what  does  Luther  say  about  that?” 

“Luther,  you  remember,  taught  the  uni¬ 
versal  priesthood  of  believers,  and  we  Luth¬ 
erans  do  not  recognize  the  necessity  of  the 
apostolic  succession,”  replied  Boltzius. 

“What  do  you  mean  by  the  universal 
priesthood  of  believers?”  asked  Harold.  He 
was  deeply  interested  and  was  improving  the 
opportunity  to  learn  more  about  some  of 
these  questions. 

“The  universal  priesthood  of  believers  is 
that  doctrine  of  the  Scriptures  taught  by 
Luther,  which  teaches  that  every  believer  in 
Jesus  Christ  has  the  privilege  of  direct  com¬ 
munion  with  Christ,  without  having  to  de¬ 
pend  upon  the  mediation  of  some  specially 
appointed  priest.  Consequently  we  do  not 
hold  our  pastors  to  be  priests,  but  simply 
ministers  set  apart  for  special  service.” 

“That  certainly  appears  reasonable  to 
me,”  replied  Harold.  “We  certainly  ought 


FRIENDS  NEW  AND  OLD 


75 


to  be  able  to  pray  directly  to  God,  without 
having  to  ask  someone  to  speak  to  Him 
for  us.” 

“It  isn’t  so  much  a  matter  of  what  appears 
reasonable,  as  of  what  the  Word  of  God 
teaches,”  continued  Boltzius.  We  must  re¬ 
member  that  the  Word  of  God  is  the  only 
infallible  rule  of  faith  and  practice.  We  must 
accept  what  the  Word  of  God  says,  whether 
we  can  understand  it  or  not.  Our  great 
effort  should  be  to  interpret  correctly  the 
Scriptures.” 

“Yes,  I  recognize  that  fact,”  said  Wesley, 
“but  isn’t  it  also  true  that  the  Church  is  a 
divine  institution  founded  by  Christ  Himself, 
and  that  its  ordinances  deserve  respect  and 
reverence  ?” 

“Most  certainly,”  replied  Boltzius,  “but  it 
is  the  Word  of  God  which  prescribes  what 
are  the  legitimate  functions  and  ordinances 
of  the  Church.  The  Church  is  what  Jesus, 
through  the  Word,  proclaims  it  to  be.  That 
was  one  of  the  great  contentions  of  Luther. 
He  maintained  that  no  man  or  body  of  men, 
either  popes  or  councils,  had  the  right  to 
define  the  powers  of  the  Church.  Salvation, 


76 


PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


he  declared,  was  the  gift  of  God’s  grace 
through  faith  in  Jesus  Christ.  The  Church, 
he  taught,  is  made  up  of  the  whole  body  of 
believers.  The  Church,  then,  is  the  product 
of  faith,  and  all  of  its  powers  and  preroga¬ 
tives  are  contingent  upon  faith,  and  not  upon 
formal  ordinances.” 

“This  is  a  new  thought  to  me,”  answered 
Wesley.  “It  puts  the  Church  upon  a  differ¬ 
ent  foundation.” 

“Yes,  you  remember  that  Peter  made  the 
confession,  ‘Thou  art  the  Christ,  the  Son  of 
the  living  God.’  Then  Jesus  said,  ‘Upon 
this  rock  I  will  build  my  Church.’  The  foun¬ 
dation  of  the  Church,  then,  is  faith  in  Christ, 
the  Son  of  God.” 

“Yes,  mother  always  insists  that  the  most 
important  thing  in  religion  is  faith,”  said 
Harold. 

“You  Lutherans  seem  to  make  faith  the 
foundation  of  your  whole  religious  system,” 
observed  Wesley. 

“Most  certainly,”  replied  Boltzius.  “Faith 
is  the  means  by  which  we  come  into  personal 
touch  with  Jesus  Christ.  It  is  faith  that 
enables  us  to  have  perfect  trust  and  confi- 


FRIENDS  NEW  AND  OLD 


77 


dence  in  Him  at  all  times  and  under  all  cir¬ 
cumstances.  No  matter  what  dangers  and 
trials  we  may  face,  we  know  that  God  will 
make  all  things  work  together  for  good  to 
them  that  love  Him.” 

‘‘That  explains,  then,”  said  Wesley,  “some 
of  the  experiences  which  I  had  during  our 
voyage  to  America.  When  the  storms  were 
raging  and  our  English  colonists  were  over¬ 
whelmed  with  fright,  your  countrymen  were 
singing  hymns  of  praise  and  seemed  to  be 
without  fear.” 

“Why  should  they  fear?”  asked  Harold. 
“Why  should  one  who  believes  in  God  not 
trust  Him  in  times  of  storm  as  well  as  in 
times  of  clear  skies?  God  is  just  as  near  at 
one  time  as  at  another.” 

“I  wish  I  might  have  that  experience  of 
perfect  peace  and  trust.  It  is  the  one  thing 
I  long  for  in  my  religious  life.” 

“It  is  all  a  matter  of  faith,  my  friend,” 
replied  Boltzius.  “Just  simple  faith  will 
bring  peace  to  the  most  troubled  heart.” 

“Yes,  I  presume  that  is  the  thing  I  am 
really  seeking  for  myself.  I  seem  to  lack 
that  perfect  assurance  of  God’s  loving  mercy 


78 


PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


that  I  so  much  desire.  I  am  trying  to  lead 
others  to  accept  Christ,  but  I  need  to  culti¬ 
vate  more  faith  for  myself.” 

Harold,  Boltzius  and  Wesley  were  just 
leaving  the  church  building  when  they  were 
somewhat  surprised  to  see  Long  Bow,  the 
Indian,  make  his  appearance.  Wesley 
greeted  him  most  heartily,  but  the  Indian 
returned  the  greeting  rather  stolidly  and 
coldly.  Long  Bow  turned  to  Harold  and 
said,  briefly,  “I  talk  with  you.”  Harold  fol¬ 
lowed  him  aside.  “Redfield  bad  man,”  he 
continued,  when  they  were  beyond  the  hearing 
of  the  others. 

“Yes,  I  know  that,”  replied  Harold. 

“He  wants  to  put  General  Oglethorpe  out 
of  the  colony.” 

“How  does  he  expect  to  do  that?” 

“He  gets  crowd  of  men  with  guns  and 
make  himself  governor.” 

“How  did  you  find  that  out?” 

“They  meet  in  forest.  I  hear  them  plan.” 

“You  are  a  good  Indian.  I  will  tell  Gen¬ 
eral  Oglethorpe,  and  he  will  take  care  of 
Redfield,  I  think.  Still,  he  may  be  able  to 
make  some  trouble.” 


FRIENDS  NEW  AND  OLD 


79 


“Yes,  you  tell  General  Oglethorpe,”  said 
Long  Bow,  as  he  strode  away  toward  the 
forest. 


CHAPTER  VI 


The  Governor's  Strong  Hand 

Harold  knew  that  there  was  no  time  to  be 
lost.  General  Oglethorpe  was  planning  a 
trip  to  the  South,  and  his  absence  would  give 
Redfield  his  desired  opportunity.  It  was 
then  that  he  would  attempt  to  carry  out  his 
plan  to  overthrow  the  governor’s  authority. 
He  told  no  one  of  the  information  which  he 
had  received  from  Long  Bow,  but  prepared 
to  set  out  the  next  morning  for  Savannah. 

On  his  arrival  at  the  older  settlement  he 
found  Oglethorpe  in  the  midst  of  his  prepa¬ 
rations  for  his  contemplated  southern  trip. 
Bill  Redfield  was  much  in  evidence,  holding 
whispered  consultations  with  men  here  and 
there.  Harold  at  once  concluded  that  he  was 
only  waiting  for  the  departure  of  the  General 
to  carry  out  the  move  which  he  had  planned. 

Harold  went  at  once  to  Oglethorpe  and 
requested  a  private  interview.  The  gov¬ 
ernor,  though  busy,  invited  him  into  his 

80 


THE  GOVERNOR’S  STRONG  HAND  81 


private  apartment.  Immediately  he  told  him 
of  the  information  which  Long  Bow  had 
given.  General  Oglethorpe  listened  intently 
to  the  recital,  watching  Harold  narrowly 
with  his  piercing  eyes.  When  the  account 
was  ended  he  grasped  Harold’s  hand 
warmly. 

“Thank  you,  my  man.  I  am  glad  for  your 
loyalty.  I  have  been  suspecting  that  this 
fellow  Redfield  was  engaged  in  some  under¬ 
handed  work,  but  I  did  not  believe  that  he 
would  dare  to  go  to  such  lengths.  I  had 
noticed  a  spirit  of  antagonism  among  a  cer¬ 
tain  class  of  the  settlers,  but  I  did  not  sup¬ 
pose  that  they  would  venture  upon  so  bold 
an  undertaking.” 

Oglethorpe  paused  for  a  few  moments, 
still  regarding  Harold  closely.  Then  he  con¬ 
tinued,  “How  would  you  like  to  take  charge 
of  a  squad  of  my  men  and  go  out  and  arrest 
Redfield?  I  will  place  him  where  he  will 
make  no  more  trouble.  You  arrest  him  and 
put  him  into  the  charge  of  the  captain  of  my 
ship,  and  I  will  take  care  that  none  of  his 
followers  make  any  disturbance.” 

“Nothing  would  suit  me  better,”  replied 


82 


PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


Harold.  “I  have  a  few  scores  against  that 
fellow  myself  that  I  should  like  to  make 
even.” 

Oglethorpe  hastily  wrote  out  a  warrant 
for  the  arrest  of  Redfield,  and  calling  a  half 
dozen  of  his  men  put  them  under  the  com¬ 
mand  of  the  young  colonist. 

Harold  at  once  set  out  in  search  of  Red- 
field.  It  was  not  long  before  he  spied  him 
earnestly  talking  to  a  group  of  men.  There 
were  a  dozen  or  more  of  them  whom  he 
recognized  as  followers  of  the  unscrupulous 
schemer.  His  first  thought  was  that  it  would 
be  unsafe  to  make  the  arrest  while  in  the 
midst  of  his  friends.  Then  the  next  thought 
was  that  such  a  move  would  be  the  surest 
means  of  breaking  up  the  incipient  rebellion 
which  he  had  been  organizing.  To  take 
him  boldly  into  custody  while  surrounded  by 
his  followers  would  tend  to  overawe  them. 
Still  Harold  realized  that  he  would  be  in¬ 
curring  considerable  danger,  for  he  recog¬ 
nized  in  the  group  several  desperate  charac¬ 
ters  with  whom  he  must  reckon.  He  hesitated 
but  a  moment.  He  told  two  of  the  men  to 
seize  Redfield  and  bind  him  as  soon  as  he 


THE  GOVERNOR’S  STRONG  HAND  S3 


should  place  him  under  arrest.  He  then 
pointed  out  some  of  the  other  dangerous 
characters,  and  told  the  other  four  men  to 
deal  with  them  should  they  make  any  hostile 
move.  He  then  walked  boldly  into  the 
group. 

“Redfield,  I  have  a  little  message  for 
you,”  said  Harold,  drawing  the  warrant  for 
his  arrest  from  his  pocket. 

“No,  you  don’t,”  yelled  the  scoundrel  with 
a  gleam  of  hate  flashing  into  his  eyes  as  soon 
as  he  realized  the  significance  of  the  paper. 
“Go  after  them,  boys.” 

He  made  a  swift  lunge  at  Harold,  but  the 
younger  man  was  on  his  guard  for  such  a 
move,  and  with  a  well-aimed  blow  from  his 
left  arm  sent  him  reeling.  The  two  men  at 
once  seized  him,  and  in  a  moment  he  was 
securely  bound.  The  other  four  men  pressed 
in  about  Harold  and  faced  the  threatening 
crowd.  All  had  happened  quickly  and  when 
they  saw  their  leader  helpless  they  were 
cowed  and  slunk  away. 

The  next  move  was  to  take  the  now  thor¬ 
oughly  cowed  Redfield  on  ship  board.  The 
captain  at  once  put  him  in  irons  to  await 


84 


PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


further  orders  from  Governor  Oglethorpe. 

When  Harold  again  reported  to  Ogle¬ 
thorpe  he  was  warmly  commended  for  his 
courage  and  decisive  action. 

“I  have  been  looking  for  just  such  a  man 
as  you,”  said  Oglethorpe.  “There  is  some 
important  work  to  be  done  to  the  south  and 
I  need  your  help.  You  seem  to  have  won  the 
confidence  of  the  Indians,  and  you  can  be  of 
special  service  in  the  expedition  which  I  am 
planning.” 

“What  will  be  the  nature  of  the  service 
which  will  be  expected  of  me?” 

“The  king  has  commissioned  me  to  see 
that  our  southern  boundaries  are  protected 
from  the  Spaniards,  wrho  hold  Florida.  I  am 
planning  to  establish  some  fortifications  along 
the  boundary,  and  I  want  you  to  help  rally 
the  Indians  to  our  support.” 

“I  will  do  what  I  can,  but  I  must  get  the 
assistance  of  Long  Bow.” 

“Can  you  be  back  here  within  four  days? 
I  am  anxious  to  start  as  soon  as  possible.” 

“I  can,  provided  I  can  find  Long  Bow.” 

Harold  immediately  hastened  away  in 
search  of  his  Indian  friend.  He  felt  sure 


THE  GOVERNOR’S  STRONG  HAND  85 


that  he  would  meet  him  on  the  way  back  to 
Ebenezer,  where  he  wished  to  inform  his 
father  and  mother  of  his  purpose  before  join¬ 
ing  the  expedition  under  the  governor.  In  his 
expectation  he  was  not  disappointed,  for  he 
had  not  left  Savannah  many  hours  before 
Long  Bow  made  his  appearance.  The  Indian 
wished  to  learn  what  had  been  the  result  of 
the  information  which  he  had  given  concern¬ 
ing  Redfield.  However,  the  stolid  native 
made  no  demonstration  when  Blarold  gave 
his  account  of  what  had  taken  place. 

“Redfield  bad  man,”  he  said.  “Serves  him 
right.  Redfield  gives  Indians  fire  water,  and 
fire  water  very  bad  for  Indians.” 

Harold  then  began  to  tell  Long  Bow  of 
the  purpose  of  General  Oglethorpe  to  fortify 
the  southern  boundary  of  Georgia  as  a  protec¬ 
tion  against  the  Spaniards,  and  his  desire 
to  have  the  assistance  of  the  natives.  The 
Indian  listened  intently.  He  asked  sev¬ 
eral  questions  concerning  the  plan  of  the 
expedition. 

“General  Oglethorpe  is  a  good  man,”  said 
Long  Bow  when  Harold  had  finished.  “He 
is  always  fair  to  my  people.  The  Spaniards 


86 


PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


are  not  honest.  They  always  cheat  the  In¬ 
dians  when  we  trade  with  them.  Long  Bow 
is  your  friend,  and  a  friend  to  General 
Oglethorpe.  Long  Bow  will  see  that  his 
people  help  his  friends.” 

The  Indian  then  disappeared  in  the  forest. 

Promptly  at  the  end  of  the  four  days 
Harold  was  at  Savannah  ready  to  accom¬ 
pany  the  governor  on  his  southern  trip. 
Oglethorpe  had  acted  promptly  and  with 
decision,  so  that  the  rebellion  which  Redfield 
had  been  fomenting  was  completely  quelled. 
However,  he  had  determined  to  keep  the 
leader  a  prisoner  on  ship  board  until  he 
should  decide  what  disposition  to  make  of 
him. 

arold  gave  Oglethorpe  an  account  of  his 
interview  with  Long  Bow.  “You  may  depend 
upon  the  natives  being  ready  to  give  their 
assistance.  Long  Bow  always  keeps  his 
promises.” 

“It  is  fortunate  that  you  have  so  fully  won 
his  confidence,”  replied  the  governor.  “The 
Spaniards  are  quite  strong  in  Florida,  and 
we  shall  need  the  assistance  of  the  Indians 
if  we  are  to  protect  our  rights.” 


THE  GOVERNOR’S  STRONG  HAND  87 


The  expedition  to  the  South  was  carried 
out  with  Oglethorpe’s  accustomed  vigor. 
Long,  Bow,  true  to  his  promise,  brought  the 
native  tribes  to  Oglethorpe,  who  made  a  firm 
treaty  with  them.  Several  forts  were  built 
and  garrisoned.  Only  one  disquieting  event 
had  occurred.  That  was  the  escape  of  Red- 
field.  In  some  unaccountable  way  he  had 
succeeded  in  freeing  himself  from  his  irons 
and  disappeared  from  the  ship.  However, 
as  he  did  not  make  his  appearance  in  any  of 
the  Georgia  settlements,  little  more  thought 
was  given  to  him. 

Having  made  provision  for  the  occupation 
of  the  territory  claimed  by  the  Georgia  col¬ 
ony  Oglethorpe  determined  to  send  messen¬ 
gers  to  St.  Augustine  to  induce  the  Spaniards, 
if  possible,  to  recognize  the  claims  of  the 
English.  Harold  and  an  older  man  named 
Wilson  were  selected  for  this  delicate  and 
dangerous  mission. 

Harold  and  his  companion  at  once  set  out 
upon  their  journey  for  the  Spanish  settle¬ 
ment.  It  was  a  journey  of  several  days  be¬ 
fore  they  finally  reached  St.  Augustine.  Har¬ 
old  was  not  familiar  with  the  Spanish  lan- 


88 


PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


guage,  but  Wilson  had  learned  to  speak  it 
with  some  degree  of  fluency.  Naturally  he 
became  the  spokesman. 

They  were  received  rather  coolly  by  the 
Spanish  governor.  He  declared  that  Ogle¬ 
thorpe  was  claiming  far  more  than  his  just 
part  of  the  territory  and  stated  that  it  was 
his  purpose  to  compel  the  English  to  aban¬ 
don  their  claim.  After  a  lengthy  discussion, 
which  brought  no  agreement,  Harold  sug¬ 
gested  that  the  matter  be  taken  under  con¬ 
sideration  for  a  few  days,  after  which  they 
should  have  another  conference.  To  this 
the  Spanish  governor  consented,  although  he 
asserted  that  he  could  make  no  change  in  his 
position. 

While  awaiting  the  time  for  the  second 
conference  the  two  Englishmen  were  per¬ 
mitted  to  lodge  in  an  abandoned  hut.  Al¬ 
though  the  lodging  place  was  of  the  crudest 
character  the  two  hardy  colonists  found  no 
difficulty  in  accommodating  themselves  to  the 
conditions.  It  was  almost  dark  when  they 
were  conducted  to  this  rude  shelter  by  a 
Spanish  soldier. 

As  they  passed  along  the  streets  the  atten- 


THE  GOVERNOR’S  STRONG  HAND  89 


tion  of  Harold  was  attracted  to  the  figure  of 
a  man  that  seemed  familiar.  At  first  he  was 
unable  to  recall  where  he  had  seen  that  gait 
and  bearing.  In  the  gathering  twilight  he 
was  unable  to  distinguish  the  man’s  features. 
Their  arrival  at  the  hut  which  had  been  as¬ 
signed  to  them  and  the  preparation  for  the 
night  drove  the  matter  from  his  mind. 

Although  the  hut  was  very  crude  it  was 
better  than  spending  the  night  in  the  open 
and  the  two  men  were  glad  to  avail  them¬ 
selves  of  its  shelter.  They  built  a  camp-fire, 
which  gave  some  protection  from  the  attacks 
of  mosquitoes.  After  having  partaken  of 
the  evening  meal  which  they  had  prepared, 
they  were  making  preparations  for  the  night, 
when  Wilson  signed  Harold  to  listen.  It 
soon  became  evident  to  them  that  the  Spanish 
had  placed  guards  about  their  lodging  place. 
The  governor  evidently  did  not  intend  that 
they  should  make  any  move  without  his 
knowledge.  This  was  somewhat  disquiet¬ 
ing,  for  they  had  reason  to  fear  treachery  on 
the  part  of  the  Spaniards.  The  two  men  dis¬ 
cussed  the  situation  in  low  tones.  Both  were 
greatly  exhausted  from  the  strenuous  jour- 


90 


PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


ney  which  they  had  made  and  were  very 
much  in  need  of  rest.  However,  they  did 
not  feel  that  it  was  safe  for  both  to  sleep  at 
the  same  time.  It  was  agreed  to  take  turns 
in  keeping  watch.  Wilson  was  to  watch  the 
first  part  of  the  night  and  Harold  the  latter 
part.  This  plan  would  enable  them  to  keep 
the  camp  fire  burning  and  thus  afford  protec¬ 
tion  all  night  from  the  mosquitoes,  which 
were  especially  annoying. 

Harold  was  soon  sleeping  soundly.  He 
was  not  disturbed  until  his  companion  wak¬ 
ened  him  to  take  his  turn  at  watching.  All 
was  dark  about  the  hut  except  the  small 
circle  of  light  made  by  the  camp  fire.  The 
midnight  hours  passed  slowly.  He  listened 
attentively  to  each  sound,  but  himself  kept 
within  the  shadow  of  the  hut,  except  when 
necessary  to  add  fuel  to  the  fire.  Occa¬ 
sional  sounds  made  it  clear  that  they  were 
closely  guarded.  He  could  hear  now  and 
then  a  step  or  movement  that  made  him  real¬ 
ize  the  guards  were  not  sleeping. 

It  must  have  been  about  three  o’clock  in 
the  morning  when  Harold’s  sharp  ear  caught 
the  sounds  of  a  whispered  conversation. 


THE  GOVERNOR’S  STRONG  HAND  91 


Someone  was  talking  with  the  guard.  His 
first  thought  was  that  this  wTas  the  time  for 
changing  guards,  but  soon  he  heard  stealthy 
steps  approaching  the  hut.  •  As  they  drew 
nearer  he  could  observe  that  they  were  mov¬ 
ing  with  greater  caution.  He  was  sitting  in 
the  shadow  of  the  hut  and  knew  that  he 
would  not  be  easily  seen.  He  had  his  hand 
upon  the  cord  by  which  he  was  to  arouse  his 
companion  when  danger  threatened.  He 
waited,  however,  to  see  just  what  would 
develop.  He  could  tell  by  the  sounds  that 
the  intruders  were  approaching  quite  near 
the  circle  of  light  cast  by  the  camp  fire.  He 
strained  his  eyes  that  he  might  catch  a  glimpse 
of  them.  Slowly  two  figures  emerged  into 
the  light.  One  was  evidently  a  guard.  But 
who  was  the  other?  Surely  he  had  seen  that 
crouching  figure  somewhere  before.  Then, 
like  a  flash,  it  dawned  upon  him.  It  was  no 
other  than  Bill  Redfield.  The  renegade, 
after  his  escape  from  Oglethorpe,  had  made 
his  way  to  the  Spanish  settlement.  As  he 
advanced  further  into  the  circle  of  light  he 
could  see  the  look  of  malignant  hatred  upon 
his  face. 


92 


PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


Harold  grasped  the  cord  to  arouse  Wil¬ 
son,  but  restrained  his  impulse  for  a  moment 
to  see  what  Redfield’ s  next  move  would  be. 
The  guard  stood  silently,  just  at  the  edge  of 
the  circle  of  light.  What  did  it  all  mean? 
Harold’s  brain  was  working  rapidly.  Surely 
the  Spanish  governor  would  not  go  to  the 
trouble  to  employ  this  outlaw  Englishman  to 
murder  them.  If  that  had  been  his  purpose 
he  would  doubtless  have  had  his  own  soldiers 
do  it.  He  concluded  that  Redfield  was  car¬ 
rying  out  some  project  of  his  own,  but  he 
was  not  able  to  guess  just  what  that  might 
be.  He  knew  that  he  could  spring  upon 
Redfield  and  overpower  him,  but  he  did  not 
know  just  what  the  guard  would  do  in  such 
a  contingency.  In  the  meantime  Redfield 
had  reached  the  door  of  the  hut  and  was 
endeavoring  to  peer  in  by  the  dim  light  cast 
by  the  fire.  He  stood  silent.  Evidently  he 
could  make  out  the  form  of  but  one  sleeping 
man.  He  now  began  to  look  about.  Harold 
could  see  that  he  was  trying  to  locate  the 
other  man,  for  he  knew  there  should  be  two. 
He  concluded  that  it  was  now  time  to  arouse 
his  companion.  He  gave  the  cord  a  sharp 


THE  GOVERNOR’S  STRONG  HAND  93 


twitch.  Wilson  quickly  but  silently  sat  up. 
Redfield  was  startled  by  this  unexpected 
movement,  and,  starting  backward,  tripped 
and  fell.  In  an  instant  Wilson  was  on  his 
feet  and  Harold  crept  forward.  Redfield, 
scrambling  up,  quickly  retreated  beyond  the 
circle  of  light.  Harold  called  softly  to  his 
companion,  but  remained  in  the  shadow.  He 
did  not  wish  Redfield  to  recognize  him,  as 
he  knew  that  he  held  an  implacable  grudge 
on  account  of  the  part  which  he  had  played 
in  his  arrest.  He  felt  sure  that  he  would  go 
to  any  length  for  revenge.  Still  he  was  not 
sure  that  Redfield  had  not  seen  and  recog¬ 
nized  him  during  the  day,  and  was  even  now 
attempting  to  carry  out  some  plan  of  revenge. 
As  they  stood  listening  they  heard  the  two 
men  retiring.  They  were  safe  for  the  time 
being,  but  what  would  be  the  next  move  re¬ 
mained  yet  to  be  seen. 


CHAPTER  VII 


Diplomacy  and  Intrigue 

Neither  Wilson  nor  Harold  slept  any 
more  that  night.  That  Redfield  was  plan¬ 
ning  mischief  they  were  certain,  but  how  to 
meet  his  machinations  was  a  problem,  for 
they  did  not  know  what  form  his  activity 
would  take. 

When  at  last  morning  came  with  the  rising 
of  the  sun  the  guards  approached  the  hut 
and  the  Englishmen  were  commanded  to 
follow  them.  They  were  brought  before  the 
governor. 

“I  have  been  informed,”  said  the  gover¬ 
nor,  addressing  the  two  men,  “that  you  are 
here  not  so  much  as  messengers  as  spies.  We 
have  it  on  good  authority  that  General  Ogle¬ 
thorpe  is  planning  to  take  possession  of  some 
of  the  domains  of  the  Spanish  king,  if  not 
actually  plotting  the  capture  of  this  very  set¬ 
tlement.  It  is  altogether  probable  that  your 
presence  here  is  for  the  purpose  of  discov- 

94 


DIPLOMACY  AND  INTRIGUE 


95 


ering  the  nature  of  our  defenses  and  report¬ 
ing  them  to  your  commander.” 

“May  I  ask,”  broke  in  Harold  impulsively, 
“the  source  of  your  information?  It  is  evi¬ 
dent  that  we  have  some  unscrupulous  enemies 
in  our  midst.” 

“It  is  not  necessary  for  me  to  give  the 
source  of  my  information,”  replied  the  gov¬ 
ernor  superciliously.  “It  is  sufficient  to  say 
that  it  is  of  an  entirely  reliable  character.” 

“Oh,  yes,  I  know  who  your  informant  is,” 
was  Harold’s  hasty  rejoinder.  He  was  about 
to  say  more  when  his  older  companion  laid 
his  hand  on  his  arm  and  checked  him. 

“Oh,  that  does  not  make  much  difference  !” 
said  Wilson,  quietly.  “Since  you  have  no 
confidence  in  our  honesty  perhaps  it  may  be 
just  as  well  that  we  relieve  you  of  our  pres¬ 
ence.  With  your  permission^  we  will  return 
to  General  Oglethorpe.” 

“That  we  shall  not  permit  for  the  pres¬ 
ent,”  said  the  governor.  “I  have  dispatched 
messengers  to  your  commander  demanding 
that  he  at  once  withdraw  from  the  posessions 
of  the  Spanish  king.  In  the  meantime  we 
shall  hold  you  as  hostages  to  compel  the  ful- 


96 


PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


fillment  of  the  demands  we  have  made.” 

The  governor  peremptorily  waved  them 
aside  and  directed  the  guards  to  take  them 
to  prison. 

Harold  could  scarcely  control  his  bitter 
wrath.  “Bill  Redfield  is  responsible  for  this, 
you  may  depend,”  he  said  to  his  companion 
as  they  followed  the  guards. 

“Well,  it  will  not  do  any  good  to  make 
a  row  about  it,”  replied  Wilson.  “We  will 
have  to  take  our  medicine  for  the  present. 
However,  it  is  rather  unfortunate  that  Red- 
field  should  have  escaped  and  found  his  way 
here.” 

Just  as  they  were  about  to  be  led  into 
the  prison  the  party  came  face  to  face  with 
Redfield.  The  renegade  stood  in  wide¬ 
mouthed  surprise  at  he  recognized  Harold. 
Then  an  expression  of  fiendish  elation  passed 
over  his  face. 

“Ho-ho,  young  man,  I  guess  we  will  have 
a  chance  to  square  accounts  now!  You 
thought  you  were  having  things  your  own 
way  back  in  Savannah,  but  it  is  my  turn  now. 
Don’t  you  wish  you  had  a  friend  in  St. 
Augustine  now?” 


A  SHARP  SWISH  AND  A  CRY  OF  PAIN 


DIPLOMACY  AND  INTRIGUE 


97 


Harold  made  no  reply  to  his  taunting 
sneers,  but  ground  his  teeth  and  clenched  his 
hands  in  impotent  rage  as  he  entered  the 
prison  door. 

The  weeks  dragged  along  monotonously 
for  the  two  Englishmen  held  as  hostages 
in  the  Spanish  prison.  They  were  not  ill- 
treated,  but  it  was  evident  that  the  governor 
was  making  good  his  threat  of  holding  them 
to  compel  Oglethorpe  to  abandon  the  terri¬ 
tory  claimed  by  Spain.  Wilson  took  the  con¬ 
finement  philosophically,  but  Harold  chafed 
under  the  restraint.  Ele  even  made  some 
wild  plans  for  escape,  but  was  dissuaded  from 
carrying  them  into  effect  by  his  more  pru¬ 
dent  companion. 

After  a  number  of  weeks  the  Spanish 
governor  paid  his  prisoners  a  visit.  He  had 
just  learned  that  a  large  number  of  natives 
had  joined  themselves  to  Oglethorpe,  and 
that  with  this  formidable  force  the  general 
was  threatening  to  advance  upon  the  Span¬ 
ish  colony.  In  the  conversation  it  soon  be¬ 
came  evident  to  the  Englishmen  that  the 
Spaniard  was  very  much  concerned  over  the 
situation.  He  was  not  at  all  confident  that 


98 


PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


he  would  be  able  to  hold  out  against  the 
combined  forces  of  the  English  and  In¬ 
dians.  He  soon  showed  that  he  was  ready  to 
make  some  concessions.  Harold  recognized 
the  opportunity  and  took  advantage  of  the 
situation. 

“You  certainly  did  not  think  that  General 
Oglethorpe  would  submit  tamely  to  such  an 
outrage  as  you  have  practiced  upon  us,”  said 
Harold  finally.  “You  do  not  know  the  kind 
of  a  man  he  is.” 

“All  that  we  have  been  insisting  upon  is 
that  he  withdraw  from  our  territory,”  re- 
plied^  the  now  somewhat  subdued  Spaniard. 

“You  did  not  take  a  very  good  course  to 
secure  that  end.  We  assured  you  in  the  be¬ 
ginning  that  the  General  was  willing  to  dis¬ 
cuss  the  matter  fully,  but  he  will  not  submit 
to  such  high-handed  proceedings  as  you  have 
undertaken.” 

“I  shall  consider  the  matter,  and  perhaps 
I  shall  send  you  back  to  your  commander 
with  a  message.” 

As  the  governor  left  the  prison  it  was  evi¬ 
dent  to  the  Englishmen  that  the  Spaniard  was 
weakening. 


DIPLOMACY  AND  INTRIGUE 


99 


That  night,  just  as  Harold  and  his  com¬ 
panion  were  about  to  fall  asleep,  they  were 
attracted  by  the  sound  of  voices.  Some¬ 
one  was  talking  to  the  guard.  Soon  the 
door  opened  and  Redfield  stepped  in. 

“Well,  I  guess  I  am  about  even  with  you 
fellowrs  now.  Anyway,  it  doesn’t  do  any 
good  to  hold  spite.” 

Harold  was  so  surprised  by  the  appear¬ 
ance  of  his  old  adversary  that  at  first  he 
could  not  speak,  but  stood  gazing  intently 
on  his  face  in  the  flickering  light  of  the 
torch. 

“Oh,  you  needn’t  be  afraid  of  me,”  con¬ 
tinued  Redfield.  “I  am  willing  to  call  it 
square  now.” 

“Well,  what  do  you  want?”  finally  asked 
Harold  rather  coldly  as  he  continued  to 
watch  him  narrowly. 

“I  have  come  to  help  you  get  away  from 
here.  You  didn’t  do  much  to  help  me  to 
get  away  from  Oglethorpe,  but  I  will  forget 
that.” 

Harold’s  mind  was  in  a  whirl.  Could  it 
be  possible  that  Redfield  was  intending  to  do 
them  a  good  turn?  Almost  he  was  begin- 


100  PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


ning  to  believe  that  the  outlaw  had  experi¬ 
enced  a  change  of  heart.  He  turned  to 
Wilson.  “What  do  you  think  of  it?” 

“For  my  part,”  said  Wilson  slowly,  “I 
am  for  anything  that  will  get  us  out  of  this 
place,  and  if  I  get  away  once  no  one  will 
ever  get  me  back  again.” 

“That’s  the  talk,”  said  Redfield. 

Harold  gave  a  swift  glance  at  the  man, 
and  was  startled  to  catch  on  his  face  an  ex¬ 
pression  of  cunning  malevolence,  which,  how¬ 
ever,  quickly  changed  to  one  of  assumed 
good  will  as  his  eyes  met  Harold’s. 

“How  will  you  accomplish  it?”  asked 
Harold,  guardedly. 

“It  won’t  cost  much  to  get  the  guard  to 
turn  his  back  while  we  step  out,”  replied  Red- 
field.  “You  surely  did  not  make  this  trip 
without  a  little  money  about  you.” 

Some  intuition  told  Harold  that  a  trap 
was  being  laid.  It  did  not  accord  with  Red- 
field’s  nature  so  easily  to  turn  from  an  enemy 
to  a  friend.  “When  do  you  propose  to  carry 
out  this  plan?”  he  asked  cautiously. 

“There  is  no  better  time  than  right 
now.  The  coast  is  clear,  and  delays,  as  you 


DIPLOMACY  AND  INTRIGUE  101 


well  know,  are  dangerous  to  each  and  all.” 

“I  am  for  it,”  said  Wilson.  “I’ll  give 
what  money  I  have  to  get  out  of  here.” 

“I  want  to  think  about  it  awhile,”  said 
Harold.  “I  am  not  ready  to  start  tonight 
anyway.” 

“Oh,  well,”  said  Redfield  airily,  “you* 
don’t  have  to  accept  a  good  turn  if  you  don’t 
want  to.  You  can  think  about  it  if  you  pre¬ 
fer,  but  the  chance  may  not  come  again  very 
soon.  What  do  you  say?”  he  asked,  turning 
to  Wilson. 

Harold  raised  a  finger  in  warning  and 
Wilson  caught  the  signal. 

“Perhaps  we  had  better  think  it  over  a 
little,”  replied  Wilson  warily. 

“All  right,  then,”  said  Redfield  as  he 
turned  and  left  the  room. 

“What  is  it?”  whispered  Wilson  when 
Redfield  was  out  of  hearing. 

“I  am  sure  he  is  up  to  mischief.  I  have 
had  considerable  experience  with  Redfield, 
and  it  is  not  his  nature  to  go  out  of  his  way 
to  do  anyone  a  good  turn,  least  of  all  some¬ 
one  against  whom  he  has  had  a  grudge,  and 
he  really  does  have  cause  for  a  grudge  against 


102  PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


me.  Then,  too,  I  did  not  like  the  expression 
which  I  caught  on  his  face  when  he  did  not 
know  I  was  watching  him.” 

“Perhaps  that  is  true,  but  I  thought  it 
was  a  pretty  good  chance  to  get  away.” 

Several  days  passed  without  further  inci¬ 
dent.  Then  one  morning  the  guard  told  the 
Englishmen  that  the  governor  wished  to  see 
them.  They  were  conducted  to  the  residence 
of  the  governor,  who  received  them  rather 
graciously. 

“We  have  received  messages  from  Gen¬ 
eral  Oglethorpe,  and  I  believe  that  we  have 
reached  a  satisfactory  agreement,”  an¬ 
nounced  the  governor.  “Consequently,  there 
is  no  longer  need  of  your  being  detained. 
You  are  now  at  liberty  to  return  to  your 
commander.” 

The  Englishmen  thanked  the  Spanish  gov¬ 
ernor  and  lost  little  time  in  setting  out  upon 
the  return  journey  after  having  provided 
themselves  with  some  necessary  supplies. 

They  saw  nothing  of  Redfield,  but  Harold 
remarked  to  his  companion  that  he  was  sure 
now  that  his  visit  to  them  was  an  attempt  to 
carry  out  some  underhanded  scheme.  He 


DIPLOMACY  AND  INTRIGUE 


103 


was  convinced  that  the  outlaw  had  been  re¬ 
sponsible  for  their  detention  in  the  first  place, 
and  that  he  was  trying  to  continue  his  plan 
for  revenge. 

By  nightfall  the  two  Englishmen  had 
placed  some  distance  between  themselves 
and  the  Spanish  settlement.  They  built  their 
camp  fire  and  prepared  to  rest  during  the 
night.  Both  of  the  men  were  accustomed  to 
spend  nights  in  the  forest  and  they  slept 
soundly.  They  did  not  consider  it  neces¬ 
sary  to  keep  watch,  so  both  had  gone  to 
sleep. 

How  long  he  had  been  asleep  Harold  did 
not  know  when  he  was  suddenly  awakened 
by  someone  seizing  his  arms  and  firmly  bind¬ 
ing  them  behind  his  back.  In  another  mo¬ 
ment  he  had  been  rolled  over  and  placed  in 
a  sitting  position  with  his  back  against  a  tree. 
As  he  attempted  to  call  out  a  piece  of  cloth 
was  forced  into  his  mouth.  Then  the  person 
who  had  bound  him  turned  to  the  smolder¬ 
ing  embers  of  the  camp  fire  and  replenished 
it.  Soon  it  burst  into  flame.  As  it  did  so  it 
revealed  Wilson  sitting  against  a  tree  a  few 
yards  distant  in  a  similar  plight  as  himself. 


104  PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


As  his  captor  turned  from  the  fire  toward 
him  he  gazed  into  the  leering  face  of  Red- 
field.  Two  Spaniards  then  advanced  into  the 
circle  of  light. 

“You  may  search  them  and  take  what¬ 
ever  they  have,”  said  the  renegade  to  his 
followers. 

At  once  the  avaricious  Spaniards  relieved 
the  Englishmen  of  whatever  valuables  they 
possessed. 

“You  may  go.  I  think  I  can  take  care  of 
these  fellows  alone  now,”  he  continued, 
when  they  had  completed  their  task. 

Immediately  the  Spaniards  disappeared  in 
the  darkness.  Redfield  sat  down  upon  a  log, 
and,  stirring  the  fire,  gloated  over  his  cap¬ 
tives.  He  had  completely  thrown  off  his 
mask  of  pretended  friendship.  At  last  he 
spoke. 

“Now  I  have  you  fellows  just  where  I 
want  you.  I  guess  we  can  even  up  our  scores 
now.  I  don’t  have  anything  special  against 
you,  Wilson,  except  you  happen  to  be  in  this 
fellow’s  company.  This  youngster  knows, 
however,  that  I  have  some  things  to  settle 
with  him,  and  I  shall  begin  right  now.” 


DIPLOMACY  AND  INTRIGUE  105 


Redfield  deliberately  got  up,  cut  a  pliable 
branch  from  a  nearby  bush.  Having 
trimmed  it  to  his  satisfaction,  he  approached 
Harold  and  jerked  him  into  a  standing  posi¬ 
tion.  He  stripped  off  his  shirt  and  bound 
him  with  his  face  to  the  tree.  Then  he  delib¬ 
erately  took  up  the  branch,  and,  swinging  it 
at  arm’s  length,  brought  it  down  with  all  his 
strength  upon  Harold’s  bare  back. 

“There,  that  is  one,”  he  said;  “but  I  owe 
you  a  good  many.” 

Harold  winced  at  the  cruel  blow  and 
struggled  desperately  but  in  vain  to  free 
himself. 

“Oh,  I’ve  got  you  now!”  sneered  Redfield 
as  he  rolled  up  his  sleeve  and  prepared  to 
deliver  another  blow.  “For  once  the  tables 
are  turned.” 

He  swung  the  rod  for  another  blow,  but 
just  as  his  arm  was  in  the  air  there  was  a 
sharp  swish  and  he  dropped  the  branch  with 
a  cry  of  pain.  His  hand  had  been  trans¬ 
fixed  by  an  Indian  arrow.  With  a  swift, 
noiseless  bound  the  figure  of  an  Indian 
leaped  into  the  circle  of  light.  Redfield 
started  back  and  with  an  oath  dashed  away 


106  PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


into  the  darkness  of  the  forest.  With  a 
swift  stroke  of  his  knife  the  Indian  cut  the 
cords  that  bound  Harold  and  then  as  quickly 
liberated  Wilson.  It  all  happened  so  quickly 
that  Harold  was  dazed,  but  in  a  moment  he 
recovered  himself.  He'  shot  a  swift  glance 
at  the  Indian. 

“Why,  Long  Bow,  how  do  you  happen  to 
be  here?” 

“Long  Bow  your  friend,”  laconically 
answered  the  native. 

“Are  you  going  to  allow  that  fiend  to  es¬ 
cape?”  exclaimed  Wilson  as  he  rubbed  his 
arms  where  they  had  been  bruised  by  the 
cords. 

For  the  moment  Harold  had  almost  for¬ 
gotten  Redfield  in  his  surprise  at  the  appear¬ 
ance  of  Long  Bow,  but  Wilson’s  exclamation 
and  his  back  smarting  from  the  blow  which 
he  had  received,  roused  him  to  action.  He 
started  into  the  forest  in  the  direction  where 
Redfield  had  disappeared.  But  Long  Bow 
laid  a  detaining  hand  upon  his  arm. 

“Wait,”  he  said  quietly. 


CHAPTER  VIII 


Coals  of  Fire 

“Why  should  I  wait?  He  will  escape  en¬ 
tirely  if  we  do  not  follow  him  at  once,”  said 
Harold  impatiently  as  he  paused. 

“Just  wait.  Long  Bow  knows,”  said  the 
Indian  as  he  signed  for  silence  and  stood 
intently  listening. 

Both  Harold  and  Wilson,  impressed  by 
the  Indian’s  earnestness,  listened  also.  Soon 
a  muffled  cry  sounded  in  the  distance,  fol¬ 
lowed  by  faint  sounds  of  a  struggle,  which 
soon  ceased.  Then  there  came  through  the 
night  air  the  clear  sound  of  the  hoot  of  an 
owl. 

“Now  come,”  said  Long  Bow,  as  he 
started  silently  through  the  darkness.  With¬ 
out  a  word  the  two  Englishmen  followed 
almost  as  silently  as  the  Indian  himself.  They 
had  not  proceeded  far  before  they  perceived 
the  glimmer  of  a  torch  through  the  trees. 
Soon  they  found  themselves  in  the  midst  of 

107 


108  PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


a  group  of  natives  surrounding  Redfield, 
whom  they  had  bound  firmly  to  a  tree.  As 
they  joined  the  group  Harold  perceived  that 
like  silent  shadows  other  natives  were  join¬ 
ing  the  circle.  Then  it  began  to  dawn  upon 
him  what  had  been  Long  Bow’s  plan.  Evi¬ 
dently  a  small  band  of  natives  under  the 
leadership  of  Long  Bow  had  been  waiting  in 
the  neighborhood  of  the  Spanish  settlement 
watching  for  the  release  of  the  Englishmen. 
Clearly  they  had  discovered  that  Harold 
and  his  companion  were  being  followed  by 
Redfield  and  his  Spaniards,  and  when  they 
were  being  set  upon  by  these  villains  had 
surrounded  the  camping  place  and  had  come 
to  their  rescue  just  at  the  proper  moment. 
Then  when  Redfield  had  attempted  to  escape 
he  had  fallen  into  their  hands.  As  Harold 
appeared,  Redfield  shot  a  look  of  vindictive 
hatred  at  him.  He  said  nothing,  because 
the  natives  had  taken  the  precaution  to  gag 
him.  Harold  glanced  about.  There  were 
about  a  dozen  natives  in  the  party.  All  were 
silent.  One  of  them  held  a  lighted  pine  knot 
for  a  torch.  They  were  apparently  waiting 
for  something.  The  mystery  of  this  waiting 


COALS  OF  FIRE 


109 


was  solved  when  another  party  of  natives 
appeared  leading  the  two  Spaniards  who  had 
been  with  Redfield.  They,  too,  were  bound 
and  gagged.  Without  a  word  these  were 
also  lashed  to  trees  close  to  Redfield  after 
their  captors  had  returned  to  the  owners 
the  property  which  had  been  taken. 

At  once  activity  began  among  the  natives. 
A  fire  was  quickly  kindled.  Each  Indian 
procured  a  pine  knot  torch,  and,  having 
lighted  it,  began  to  circle  slowly  about  the 
captives.  Then  their  bodies  began  to  sway. 
Now  one  began  a  rhythmical  chanting.  Then 
another  took  up  the  chant,  followed  by  an¬ 
other  and  another,  until  the  whole  party  was 
dancing  about  the  captives.  Gradually  they 
broke  into  wild  yells  and  frenzied  leapings. 
Finally  one  seized  a  fallen  branch  and  threw 
it  at  the  feet  of  the  captives.  This  was  fol¬ 
lowed  by  another.  At  first  this  puzzled 
Harold,  but  suddenly  the  horrible  truth 
dawned  upon  him.  The  Indians  were  plan¬ 
ning  to  burn  their  captives  alive.  Much  as 
he  detested  the  villainous  Redfield,  this  hor¬ 
rified  him.  Could  he  stand  by  and  see  this 
torture  carried  out?  The  faces  of  the  cap- 


110  PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


tives  were  blanched  with  fear,  for  they  well 
knew  what  the  natives  were  preparing. 

“What  shall  we  do?”  whispered  Harold 
to  Wilson. 

“I  don’t  see  that  we  can  do  anything,” 
was  the  reply.  “I  don’t  care  to  interfere 
with  these  redskins  when  they  are  in  this 
mood.  This  rascal  would  have  done  some¬ 
thing  worse  to  you  if  he  had  been  let  alone.” 

“But  surely  we  cannot  stand  quietly  by 
and  see  these  men  suffer  such  a  fate.” 

By  this  time  the  savages  had  reached  a 
perfect  frenzy,  and  the  fagots  were  piled 
high  about  the  terrified  captives.  Harold 
realized  that  if  anything  were  to  be  done  it 
must  be  done  quickly.  He  approached  Long 
Bow  in  the  leaping  circle  of  Indians,  but  the 
native  waved  him  aside.  Just  at  this  moment 
one  of  the  Indians  threw  his  torch  into  the 
pile  of  fagots.  Then  several  others  did  like¬ 
wise.  The  flaming  pine  knots  smouldered 
for  a  little  time,  but  soon  they  began  to  blaze 
and  to  kindle  the  pile.  The  horror  of  it  all 
sickened  Harold,  but  he  did  not  hesitate  long. 
Leaping  forward,  he  began  with  feverish 
haste  to  scatter  the  piled-up  wood  and  to 


COALS  OF  FIRE 


111 


stamp  out  the  fire.  The  yelling  circle  of 
natives  suddenly  became  silent  as  they  stood 
gazing  in  amazement.  Harold  did  not  pause 
until  the  fagots  had  been  scattered  and  the 
incipient  flames  extinguished.  As  he  turned 
to  face  the  astonished  natives,  one  of  the 
group  sprang  threateningly  toward  him  with 
uplifted  weapon.  Long  Bow,  however, 
stepped  forward  and  checked  his  impetuous 
follower.  Then,  turning  to  Harold : 

“Why  do  you  interfere?  Why  do  you  take 
the  part  of  your  enemy?”  Harold  could  read 
in  the  eyes  of  the  Indian  smouldering  anger 
and  he  realized  that  this  was  indeed  a  criti¬ 
cal  situation.  In  the  tumult  of  his  thoughts 
the  words  which  he  had  heard  from  Pastor 
Boltzius  in  one  of  his  sermons  flashed  into 
his  mind:  “There  is  no  danger  so  great  or 
trial  so  severe  that  an  earnest  prayer  to  God 
will  not  bring  help.”  As  his  gaze  met  that 
of  the  Indian  a  prayer  went  up  from  his 
heart  for  wisdom  to  speak  the  right  word. 
As  the  native  searched  the  face  of  the  young 
white  man  it  was  not  an  expression  of  anger 
or  hate  that  he  read  there,  but  one  that 
seemed  for  the  moment  to  calm  his  own  ris- 


112  PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


ing  anger.  Then  Harold  very  quietly  spoke  : 

“Long  Bow,  I  am  a  white  man,  and  I 
worship  Jesus  Christ.  He  tells  me,  ‘Love 
your  enemies,  bless  them  that  curse  you,  do 
good  to  them  that  hate  you,  and  pray  for 
them  that  despitefully  use  you  and  persecute 
you.”  It  is  true  that  Redfield  is  my  enemy, 
but  I  would  be  no  Christian  if  I  stood  by  and 
saw  him  burned  at  the  stake.” 

The  look  of  anger  died  out  of  Long  Bow’s 
eyes.  “It  is  really  true  then,  as  Pastor  Bolt- 
zius  has  been  telling  us.  The  white  man’s 
religion  will  give  us  new  hearts.  It  will  take 
away  hate  and  make  us  love  each  other.” 

The  circle  of  Indians  drew  closer  about 
Long  Bow  and  Harold  as  they  stood  facing 
each  other.  They  listened  intently  to  all  that 
was  being  said.  The  weapons  which  had 
been  raised  with  threatening  menace  were 
lowered.  Harold  was  about  to  speak  again, 
when  one  of  the  natives,  pressing  forward, 
asked : 

“May  I  ask  the  paleface  a  question?” 

Long  Bow  turned  to  Harold  with  a  ques¬ 
tioning  glance.  Harold  nodded  to  the  native 
who  had  pressed  forward. 


COALS  OF  FIRE 


113 


“You  say  the  white  man’s  religion  teaches 
us  to  love  each  other  and  do  good  to  our 
enemies?”  asked  the  stolid-faced  native. 
Harold  nodded  affirmatively. 

“Why,  then,  do  the  white  men  fight  each 
other  and  kill  each  other?  Why  do  they  rob 
the  red  men  and  make  war  upon  them  ?  Why 
do  they  bring  the  red  men  firewater,  which 
causes  them  to  fight  and  kill?” 

The  circle  of  Indians  was  pressing  closer 
and  each  was  bending  forward  eagerly  to 
hear  the  answer  to  these  questions.  As 
Harold  glanced  about  he  could  read  the  eager 
interest  upon  even  the  stolid  Indian  faces. 
Never  before  had  he  seen  any  of  the  natives 
so  interested  in  what  might  be  said  concern¬ 
ing  the  white  man’s  religion.  Then  he 
seemed  to  see  a  vision  of  the  earnest  face  of 
Pastor  Boltzius  as  he  had  seen  him  endeav¬ 
oring  to  awaken  a  religious  interest  in  the 
hearts  of  the  natives  who  came  from  time  to 
time  to  Ebenezer.  Again  he  remembered  his 
words  urging  to  prayer.  Before  he  attempted 
to  answer  there  went  up  from  his  heart  an¬ 
other  plea  for  wisdom. 

“The  white  men  are  not  all  good  men,” 


114  PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


began  Harold.  “Some  of  them  do  as  Jesus 
teaches  and  some  do  not.  Some  of  them  wor¬ 
ship  Jesus  and  some  do  not.  All  men,  red  men 
and  white  men,  are  naturally  bad,  and  unless 
they  will  allow  Jesus  to  give  them  new  hearts 
they  will  be  wicked  and  hate  each  other.  It 
makes  no  difference  whether  we  are  white 
men  or  red  men,  we  must  believe  Jesus  and 
allow  Him  to  give  us  new  hearts  if  we  are  to 
be  good.  Some  white  men  will  not  allow 
Jesus  to  give  them  new  hearts,  so  they  are 
wicked  and  hateful.”  Harold  paused.  The 
circle  of  natives  stood  silent  and  motionless. 
They  had  eagerly  drunk  in  every  word. 

Then  he  continued  again,  “Pastor  Bolt- 
zius  and  his  people  at  Ebenezer  do  not  rob 
the  red  men  or  give  them  firewater.  They 
do  not  fight  and  hate  each  other.” 

“Yes,  you  speak  the  truth,”  said  Long 
Bow  as  Harold  paused  again.  “Pastor  Bolt- 
zius  speaks  the  truth,  too.  But  I  would  not 
have  believed  that  the  white  man’s  religion 
would  give  one  a  new  heart  if  I  had  not  seen 
you  take  the  part  of  this  man  who  is  your 
enemy.” 

“Do  you  understand  now?”  asked  Harold 


COALS  OF  FIRE 


115 


of  the  native  who  had  propounded  the  per¬ 
plexing  questions. 

“I  do  not  understand  yet,  but  I  know  you 
speak  the  truth.  I  must  think.” 

“What  shall  we  do  with  these  men?” 
asked  Long  Bow,  pointing  to  the  captives. 

Harold  had  almost  forgotten  Redfield  in 
his  eagerness  to  help  the  red  men  to  grasp 
the  meaning  of  the  white  man’s  religion,  but 
he,  too,  now  turned  to  the  captives.  The 
faces  of  the  Spaniards  were  almost  as  stolid 
as  those  of  the  Indians,  but  on  the  face  of 
Redfield  was  plainly  written  a  puzzled  ex¬ 
pression  of  astonishment  and  relief.  He 
had  not  grasped  as  fully  as  even  the  natives 
the  motives  that  had  prompted  Harold  to 
return  good  for  evil.  He  was  still  doubtful 
whether  it  was  the  purpose  of  the  young 
Englishman  to  save  his  life  or  merely  to  find 
an  opportunity  to  take  vengeance  himself. 
However,  this  doubt  was  quickly  dispelled 
when  Harold  said: 

“Take  them  back  to  the  Spanish  settle¬ 
ment  and  release  them.” 

Long  Bow  gave  a  few  brief  commands  to 
his  followers.  Immediately  the  three  cap- 


116  PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


tives  were  unbound  and  in  silence  led  away. 

“They  will  get  what  they  deserve  as  soon 
as  they  get  out  of  hearing,”  whispered  Wil¬ 
son  as  they  were  departing.  “The  Indians 
are  willing  to  humor  you  for  the  present. 

Harold  dashed  after  the  disappearing 
band  of  natives.  He  touched  Long  Bow  on 
the  arm. 

“Do  you  promise  not  to  injure  these 
men?” 

“Yes,  I  promise,”  replied  the  Indian 
quietly.  “Long  Bow  does  not  break  his 
word.” 

When  the  two  Englishmen  found  them¬ 
selves  alone  the  dawn  was  beginning  to 
lighten  the  east. 

“Well,  I  presume  we  might  as  well  be 
traveling,”  said  Wilson.  “I  guess  we  have 
had  excitement  enough  for  one  night.” 

The  journey  returning  to  General  Ogle¬ 
thorpe’s  camp  was  without  further  unusual 
incident.  They  were  received  with  evident 
satisfaction  by  the  governor,  for  he  had  been 
much  concerned  for  their  safety  while  they 
were  being  held  by  the  Spaniards.  He  well 
knew  that  the  Spanish  governor  would  hesi- 


COALS  OF  FIRE 


117 


tate  at  nothing  which  he  thought  would  in¬ 
timidate  the  English. 

The  next  day  Long  Bow  and  his  party  also 
returned  to  camp.  The  Indians  said  little 
concerning  the  incident  in  which  they  had 
been  concerned,  merely  stating  that  Redfield 
and  his  companions  had  been  taken  in  safety 
to  the  Spanish  settlement.  General  Ogle¬ 
thorpe  was  somewhat  vexed  that  Redfield 
had  not  been  brought  back  to  him,  but  Har¬ 
old  contended  that  the  best  disposition  to  be 
made  was  to  allow  him  to  remain  among 
the  Spaniards.  To  this  the  governor  finally 
agreed. 

Several  days  later  Long  Bow  came  to 
Harold.  “Long  Bow  wishes  to  talk,”  he 
began.  “We  have  been  thinking  over  what 
you  told  us  the  other  night.  For  a  long  time 
we  did  not  believe  that  the  white  man’s  re¬ 
ligion  was  any  good.  We  thought  the  white 
men  were  just  trying  to  get  the  Indians  to 
do  as  they  wanted  them  to  do.  The  red 
men  now  believe  that  you  speak  the  truth 
when  yog  talk  about  religion.  Some  white 
men  do  not  speak  the  truth  about  religion. 
When  you  helped  Redfield,  who  had  done 


118  PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


so  much  harm  to  you,  and  then  told  us  about 
Jesus,  saying  that  we  should  love  our  ene¬ 
mies,  then  we  knew  that  you  would  tell  the 
truth  about  religion.” 

Harold  was  surprised  to  hear  Long  Bow 
speak  so  freely  about  religion.  He  perceived 
that  a  subtle  change  had  been  wrought  in  the 
red  man  and  that  his  heart  was  now  open 
to  the  truth  of  Christianity.  Although  he 
was  himself  a  sincere  Christian,  and  under 
the  ministry  of  Boltzius  had  grown  much  in 
faith  and  Christian  grace,  he  had  never 
thought  of  himself  as  being  fitted  to  lead  the 
red  men  to  Christianity.  He  began  to  cast 
about  in  his  mind  for  someone  in  General 
Oglethorpe’s  party  to  whom  he  might  direct 
the  Indian  for  religious  instruction.  Soon  he 
realized  that  there  was  no  one  in  the  com¬ 
pany  more  capable  than  himself  for  this  task, 
and  no  one  in  whom  the  natives  had  as  much 
confidence.  Long  Bow  waited  patiently  for 
Harold  to  speak.  Finally  the  young  white 
man  began : 

“Long  Bow,  I  fear  that  I  am  not  a  very 
good  Christian.  I  do  not  always  do  as  Jesus 
wants  me  to  do  and  I  fear  that  I  do  not 


COALS  OF  FIRE 


119 


understand  religion  well  enough  to  explain 
it  to  the  red  men.” 

“But  you  speak  the  truth  and  we  can  trust 
you,”  broke  in  Long  Bow.  “That  is  what 
we  want.  We  want  to  know  that  the  things 
are  true.” 

“Do  you  not  believe  that  Pastor  Boltzius 
speaks  the  truth?” 

“Yes,  Pastor  Boltzius  is  a  good  man  and 
we  know  that  he  will  tell  us  the  truth.” 

“Then  I  will  bring  Pastor  Boltzius,  and 
T  know  that  he  will  be  glad  to  tell  you  about 
Jesus.” 


CHAPTER  IX 


The  Leading  of  God 

Harold  lost  no  time  in  setting  out  for 
Ebenezer.  Boltzius,  though  burdened  with 
his  pastoral  duties  at  the  settlement,  gladly 
consented  to  accompany  Harold  to  the  In¬ 
dian  camp,  that  he  might  tell  the  natives  the 
Gospel  story. 

The  shades  of  night  were  gathering  as 
they  reached  the  place  where  the  Indians 
were  encamped  after  the  strenuous  journey. 
The  natives  were  sitting  about  the  camp  fire 
in  silence.  The  flickering  Ablaze  would 
light  up  their  stolid  faces,  then  they  would 
be  darkened  by  the  shadows.  Long  Bow 
motioned  them  to  a  place  near  the  center  of 
the  group.  Then,  rising,  he  addressed  his 
companions : 

“We  have  asked  our  white  friends  to  come 
tonight  to  tell  us  about  the  white  man’s  re¬ 
ligion.  We  have  asked  them  because  we 
believe  that  we  have  found  white  men  who 


120 


THE  NATIVES  SITTING  ABOUT  THE  CAMPFIRE  IN  SILENCE 


THE  LEADING  OF  GOD 


121 


will  tell  us  the  truth.  We  can  trust  what  they 
say.  The  red  men  have  always  worshiped 
the  Great  Spirit,  but  we  are  like  children. 
We  do  not  always  know  how  we  ought  to 
worship.  The  white  man  is  very  wise  and 
knows  many  things  that  the  red  man  does 
not.  But  the  white  man  is  not  always  good. 
Sometimes  he  tells  lies  to  the  red  man. 
Sometimes  he  makes  war  on  the  red  man  and 
takes  away  his  land.  Sometimes  he  brings 
the  red  man  firewater,  which  takes  away  his 
mind  so  that  he  does  not  know  what  he  does. 
But  not  all  white  men  are  bad.  Some  are 
good.  Some  come  to  tell  us  about  the  Great 
Spirit.  Some  come  to  teach  us  the  things 
that  the  white  man  knows.  If  we  always 
knew  who  are  good  and  who  are  bad  we 
would  know  whom  to  trust.  We  have  asked 
our  white  friends  here  to  tell  us  about  their 
religion  because  we  know  they  are  honest 
and  speak  the  truth.” 

As  Long  Bow  sat  down,  the  faces  of  the 
Indians  were  turned  toward  the  white  men 
with  an  air  of  expectancy.  Boltzius  realized 
that  this  was  an  unusual  opportunity.  He 
gazed  earnestly  into  the  faces  about  him  as 


122  PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


he  rose.  Then  he  began  in  his  own  way  to 
tell  the  story  of  God’s  Word.  He  told  of 
the  creation  and  God’s  wonderful  wisdom 
and  power.  Then  he  related  the  experiences 
of  Adam  and  Eve  and  how  sin  came  into 
the  world.  In  the  story  of  Cain  and  Abel 
he  sketched  in  graphic  words  the  effect  of  sin 
and  how  it  was  the  cause  of  jealousy,  hate 
and  bloodshed.  Then  he  told  of  how  the 
world  grew  more  and  more  wicked.  Then 
he  related  how  God  planned  to  send  a 
Saviour  who  should  overcome  sin  in  the 
hearts  of  men  and  provide  a  way  of  salva¬ 
tion.  As  he  observed  how  eagerly  they  were 
listening,  his  heart  warmed.  As  he  began  to 
tell  the  story  of  Jesus  there  seemed  to  come 
a  subtle  inspiration  and  unusual  eloquence 
fell  from  his  lips.  He  told  how  the  angels 
sang  on  the  night  of  His  birth,  how  He  grew 
to  manhood  and  went  about  doing  good. 
Then  came  the  story  of  the  cross  and  how 
the  Son  of  God  gave  His  life  for  the  sins 
of  the  world.  As  he  concluded  with  the 
story  of  the  Resurrection,  he  paused. 

Then  one  of  the  natives  broke  in  eagerly. 
“Yes,  we  see  the  wonderful  love  of  Jesus, 


THE  LEADING  OF  GOD 


123 


but  how  are  we  to  obtain  the  new  heart  that 
will  make  us  love  each  other?” 

“Yes,  yes,  that  is  what  we  want  to  know,” 
came  a  number  of  other  voices. 

Boltzius  looked  about  again.  The  stolid 
expression  so  common  to  the  faces  of  the 
natives  had  given  way  to  looks  of  eager 
expectancy. 

“  ‘God  so  loved  the  world  that  he  gave 
his  only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  be- 
lieveth  on  him  should  not  perish  but  have 
everlasting  life.’  ”  quoted  Boltzius.  “God 
loves  both  the  red  man  and  the  white  man, 
and  wants  us  to  have  the  new  heart  that 
will  make  us  love  each  other.  Unless  we 
have  the  new  heart  we  keep  on  in  our  wick¬ 
edness.  You  wonder  why  all  white  men  are 
not  good  when  they  have  a  chance  to  know 
the  white  man’s  religion?  It  is  because  they 
will  not  listen  to  God’s  Word  which  He  has 
sent  to  us.  God’s  Word  tells  us  that  Jesus 
is  willing  to  be  punished  in  our  place,  so  that 
we  may  be  forgiven  if  we  will  only  believe  on 
Him.  When  we  believe  on  Jesus  He  gives 
us  a  new  heart  and  changes  us  from  wicked 
men  to  good  men.  If  we  believe  on  Him 


124  PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


we  are  willing  to  do  what  He  teaches  us  we 
should  do.  If  you  want  to  have  the  new 
heart  you  must  listen  to  God’s  Word,  you 
must  believe  in  Jesus  Christ,  and  you  must 
be  willing  to  do  what  Jesus  tells  you  to  do. 
Jesus  will  make  us  better  men  if  we  will  only 
let  Him.” 

Boltzius  paused  and  then  asked  if  they 
had  any  more  questions.  The  natives  re¬ 
mained  silent.  Over  their  faces  there  seemed 
to  come  the  dawning  of  understanding. 
They  were  beginning  to  grasp  the  religion 
which  had  been  explained  to  them. 

Then  Long  Bow  asked,  “If  we  believe  in 
Christ,  what  next  must  we  do?” 

“You  should  become  members  of  the 
Church.” 

“How  are  we  to  become  members  of  the 
Church?” 

“You  must  be  baptized.” 

“Then  we  want  you  to  baptize  us.” 

“I  will  be  very  glad  to  baptize  you  and 
receive  you  into  the  Church  if  you  will  come 
to  Ebenezer  and  allow  me  to  teach  you  the 
catechism,  so  that  you  may  understand  the 
Gospel  more  fully.  There  are  many  more 


THE  LEADING  OF  GOD 


125 


things  you  need  to  know  about  the  Word  of 
God.” 

“Yes,  yes,  we  will  come,”  they  eagerly 
promised. 

xly  »1» 

'I'  'I' 

Almost  two  years  had  passed  since  Harold 
had  accompanied  General  Oglethorpe  on  his 
expedition  to  the  South.  In  the  meantime, 
Charles  Wesley  had  returned  to  England. 
These  years  had  been  spent  quietly  in  the 
settlement  at  Ebenezer.  Several  times  he 
had  met  John  Wesley,  who  still  remained 
in  America,  but  each  time  he  seemed  very 
much  dissatisfied.  He  had  not  been  able  to 
secure  any  tangible  results  from  his  labors 
among  the  Indians. 

On  one  of  his  regular  trips  to  Savannah 
Harold  met  John  Wesley,  who  seemed  very 
glad  to  meet  his  old  friend  and  invited  him 
to  dine  with  him.  The  young  men  discussed 
various  subjects  during  the  meal,  but  Wesley 
seemed  to  have  something  upon  his  mind. 
Finally  he  said : 

“Harold,  I  expect  to  return  to  England. 
A  ship  will  sail  next  week,  and  I  have  en¬ 
gaged  passage.” 


126  PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


“Why  is  that?”  asked  Harold  in  surprise. 

“I  feel  that  my  mission  here  has  been  a 
failure.  I  came  to  convert  the  Indians,  but 
I  have  come  to  realize  that  I  need  to  be  con¬ 
verted  myself.  I  do  not  have  the  peace  of 
mind  that  the  true  Christian  should  have. 
I  have  studied  my  Bible  and  know  what  it 
teaches  concerning  salvation,  but  for  some 
reason  I  cannot  be  sure  that  my  sins  are  for¬ 
given.  I  know  that  in  some  way  I  am  not 
right,  or  God  would  make  my  work  more 
fruitful.” 

“My  dear  friend,”  said  Harold,  “I  do  not 
believe  we  should  judge  our  salvation  by  the 
results  of  our  work.  God  does  not  measure 
success  by  material  standards.  What  we 
think  to  be  of  little  importance  may  be  of 
great  importance  in  His  sight,  and  what  we 
think  are  wonderful  things  may  be  but  dust 
and  ashes  to  Him.” 

“Yes,  that  is  true,  but  why  do  I  not  have 
peace  of  mind?  Why  do  so  many  doubts  and 
fears  disturb  me?  Why  cannot  I  have  such 
perfect  assurance  as  Paul  had?  Why  can¬ 
not  I  be  just  as  sure  of  the  forgiveness  of 
my  sins  as  Luther  was?” 


THE  LEADING  OF  GOD 


127 


“You  must  remember  that  for  a  long  time 
Luther  did  not  have  peace  of  mind  in  his 
religious  experience.  I  have  read  that  for 
years  he  tried  every  form  of  penance  that 
was  suggested,  but  it  was  not  until  he  quietly 
put  his  trust  in  the  assurance  of  God’s  Word, 
which  says,  ‘The  just  shall  live  by  faith,’ 
that  he  found  that  peace  for  which  he  had 
been  so  long  seeking.” 

“Yes,  that  seems  to  be  just  the  difficulty. 
I  do  not  seem  to  have  that  perfect  faith  and 
confidence.  How  can  I  secure  it?” 

“Just  take  God  at  His  word.  When  God’s 
Word  says,  ‘Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  and  thou  shalt  be  saved,’  just  believe. 
When  God’s  Word  says,  ‘Him  that  cometh 
unto  me  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out,’  just  come 
to  Jesus  and  trust  Him.  When  you  read, 
‘The  just  shall  live  by  faith,’  simply  put  your 
dependence  upon  your  faith  and  God’s 
promise.” 

“That  is  just  the  trouble.  I  don’t  trust 
my  own  faith.  I  do  not  know  whether  I 
really  believe  or  not.” 

“It  isn’t  a  matter  of  trusting  your  own 
faith.  It  is  a  matter  of  trusting  God.  Our 


128  PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


salvation  does  not  depend  upon  ourselves 
but  upon  God.” 

“Ah,  yes,  that  is  what  I  have  heard  Pastor 
Boltzius  say  again  and  again,  but  for  some 
reason  I  cannot  quite  grasp  that  fact.  I 
cannot  quite  put  myself  completely  into 
God’s  hands.” 

The  discussion  continued  for  a  short  time, 
but  other  duties  demanded  Harold’s  atten¬ 
tion.  He  had  completed  his  errands  and  was 
preparing  for  the  return  trip  to  Ebenezer 
when  he  met  General  Oglethorpe. 

“Young  man,”  greeted  the  governor,  “you 
are  just  the  person  for  whom  I  have  been 
looking.  I  need  you  very  much.  War  will 
doubtless  soon  break  out  between  England 
and  Spain  and  1  have  need  of  just  such  a 
man  as  you  to  do  some  special  work  for  me 
in  England  while  I  carry  on  preparations 
here  in  America.” 

Harold  accompanied  the  General  to  his 
private  residence,  where  he  received  careful 
instructions  concerning  the  duties  he  was  to 
perform.  It  was  decided  that  he  should  de¬ 
part  on  the  vessel  which  was  to  sail  the  fol¬ 
lowing  week. 


THE  LEADING  OF  GOD 


129 


Harold  hastened  back  to  Ebenezer,  that 
he  might  bid  his  father,  mother  and  sister 
farewell  and  make  the  necesary  preparations 
for  his  departure. 

The  day  for  the  sailing  of  the  ship  found 
him  in  Savannah  ready  for  the  trip  to  Eng¬ 
land.  In  the  excitement,  on  account  of  the 
responsibility  which  had  been  placed  upon 
him  by  the  governor,  he  had  forgotten  that 
Wesley  was  to  sail  on  the  same  vessel.  This 
fact,  however,  came  quickly  to  mind  when  he 
met  him  in  the  crowd  on  the  wharf. 

“Hello,”  greeted  Harold,  “I  am  going 
back  to  England,  too.” 

“Well,  how  does  that  happen?”  asked 
Wesley. 

“General  Oglethorpe  is  sending  me  on  a 
special  mission.” 

“I  must  congratulate  you  on  your  good 
fortune,  and  I  am  sure  that  I  am  to  be  con¬ 
gratulated  on  having  you  for  a  companion. 
I  shall  certainly  enjoy  your  company  during 
the  voyage.” 

“I  assure  you  the  enjoyment  will  be 
mutual.” 

“I  am  especially  glad  to  have  your  com- 


130  PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


pany  on  this  voyage,  for  I  wish  to  continue 
the  discussion  which  we  were  having  the  other 
day.  There  were  some  points  which  you 
made  upon  which  I  am  not  quite  clear.” 

Harold  and  Wesley  were  unable  to  con¬ 
tinue  their  conversation  at  this  time,  on  ac¬ 
count  of  the  confusion  of  embarkation.  As 
they  were  crowding  on  board  he  caught  sight 
of  a  figure  that  seemed  familiar  to  him.  He 
was  puzzled  to  recall  who  the  person  was, 
and  before  he  could  refresh  his  memory  the 
individual  had  disappeared  down  the  hold. 
There  had  been  something  strangely  familiar 
in  the  bearing,  but  he  could  not  place  the 
identity.  In  the  hurry  of  getting  settled  the 
matter  passed  from  his  mind.  However,  it 
came  back  to  him  in  the  evening,  as  he  was 
on  deck,  when  he  saw  the  same  figure  out¬ 
lined  against  the  sky.  In  a  flash  it  came  to 
him  that  the  person  was  no  other  than  Bill 
Redfield.  However,  he  was  now  wearing  a 
full  beard,  and  evidently  was  depending  upon 
this  to  disguise  him. 

What  was  Bill  Redfield  doing  on  board 
a  ship  going  to  England?  What  scheme  did 
he  now  have  in  mind?  Did  he  still  cherish 


THE  LEADING  OF  GOD 


131 


the  spirit  of  revenge?  Was  he  planning 
some  injury?  These  were  some  of  the 
thoughts  that  ran  through  Harold’s  mind  as 
he  meditated  upon  this  discovery.  At  once 
he  determined  not  to  allow  Redfield  to  know 
that  he  was  recognized.  If  he  were  plotting 
mischief  he  could  guard  against  it  better  if 
Redfield  thought  he  was  unrecognized.  How¬ 
ever,  he  was  determined  to  be  on  his  guard 
and  to  keep  a  careful  watch. 

Harold’s  thoughts  turned  again  to  Wesley. 
As  they  did  so  a  plan  began  forming  in  his 
mind.  Perhaps  he  could  enlist  his  friend 
in  guarding  against  the  possible  machinations 
of  his  old  enemy.  He  resolved  at  least  to 
confide  in  him.  He  was  just  turning  to  go 
in  search  of  Wesley  when  he  heard  his  name 
spoken  and  found  himself  face  to  face  with 
him. 

“I  am  glad  I  have  found  you  at  last,”  said 
Wesley. 

“ I  am  sorry  we  got  separated  in  coming 
on  board.  I  did  not  know  there  were  so 
many  taking  passage  on  this  ship.” 

“I  do  not  know  myself  just  why  so  many 
people  are  returning  to  England  at  this  time, 


132  PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


unless  it  is  on  account  of  the  threatened  war.” 

“Do  you  know  anything  about  that  man?” 
asked  Harold,  pointing  out  Redfield. 

“He  appeared  in  Savannah  a  few  days 
ago,”  replied  Wesley,  “but  no  one  seems  to 
know  just  where  he  came  from.  He  didn’t 
give  out  very  much  information  concerning 
himself.” 

“I  want  to  tell  you  something,”  said  Har¬ 
old,  drawing  closer  to  his  friend.  Then  he 
proceeded  to  tell  him  of  his  various  experi¬ 
ences  with  Redfield.  As  he  finished,  he  said: 
“Redfield  thinks,  no  doubt,  that  no  one  rec¬ 
ognizes  him,  and  I  suspect  that  he  will  be 
planning  some  way  to  get  even  with  me.  I 
know  he  is  capable  of  almost  anything,  so  it 
will  be  necessary  for  me  to  keep  a  close  watch 
on  him.” 

“Let  me  help  you,”  said  Wesley.  “To¬ 
gether  we  certainly  ought  to  be  able  to  guard 
against  any  of  his  schemes.” 


CHAPTER  X 


The  Power  of  the  Spirit 

For  many  days  the  voyage  was  without 
incident.  Harold  and  Wesley  kept  a  secret 
but  careful  watch  upon  Redfield.  He  seemed 
to  avoid  all  of  his  fellow  passengers,  and 
especially  Plarold,  who  at  last  concluded 
that  his  fear  of  recognition  was  greater  than 
his  desire  for  revenge.  Harold  finally  de¬ 
termined  to  meet  Redfield  face  to  face,  but 
resolved  to  show  no  signs  of  recognition. 
The  opportunity  came  after  they  had  been 
on  the  voyage  about  a  week.  He  observed 
Redfield  alone  near  the  bow  of  the  ship. 
Unconcernedly  he  strolled  forward.  As  he 
approached,  Redfield  kept  his  back  turned. 

“It  looks  as  though  we  might  have  some 
rough  weather  soon,”  observed  Harold,  as 
he  glanced  toward  some  clouds  that  hung 
along  the  horizon. 

“Perhaps  so,”  was  the  brief  reply  which 
Redfield  made  without  turning  his  head. 

133 


134  PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


As  Harold  watched  him  out  of  the  corner 
of  his  eye,  he  saw  him  glance  about,  as 
though  to  see  if  they  were  alone.  Then  he 
noticed  that  he  began  to  edge  nearer,  though 
he  still  kept  his  face  turned  away. 

“What  is  that  out  yonder,  do  you  sup¬ 
pose?”  asked  Redfield,  suddenly,  pointing 
over  to  the  other  side  of  the  ship. 

Although  Harold  was  on  his  guard  and 
watching  his  old  enemy,  he  involuntarily 
turned  his  head  in  the  direction  indicated. 
In  a  moment  Redfield  sprang  toward  him 
with  the  evident  intention  of  throwing  him 
over  the  side  of  the  vessel.  Had  Harold 
not  been  expecting  some  such  move  he  doubt¬ 
less  would  have  accomplished  his  purpose. 
As  it  was,  he  barely  avoided  his  sudden  rush. 

“Well,  what  do  you  mean?”  demanded 
Harold  sharply,  but  he  gave  no  indication 
of  having  recognized  his  enemy. 

Seeing  that  he  had  failed,  Redfield  turned 
and  walked  swiftly  away. 

That  evening,  as  it  was  growing  dusk, 
Harold  and  Wesley  were  standing  on  the 
deck,  where  they  had  been  watching  the  sun¬ 
set  in  the  western  sky.  There  was  still  a 


THE  POWER  OF  THE  SPIRIT 


135 


faint  glow  where  the  sun  had  gone  down,  and 
the  twinkling  stars  were  beginning  to  appear. 
Then  Harold  began  to  relate  his  experience 
with  Redfield. 

“Then  you  were  right  in  suspecting  that 
he  was  planning  mischief,”  observed  Wesley. 
“Why  do  you  not  report  him  to  the  captain 
and  have  him  put  in  irons?” 

“I  suppose  at  one  time  I  might  have  done 
so,”  replied  Harold,  “but  I  look  at  some 
things  differently  now  than  I  did  a  few  months 
ago.  I  doubt  if  harsh  measures  will  ever 
turn  an  enemy  into  a  friend.  Our  Master 
teaches  us  that  we  should  love  our  enemies 
and  return  good  for  evil.  Several  times  I 
have  been  harsh  with  this  man,  and  the  only 
result  has  been  to  make  him  more  vindictive. 
At  the  time  I  saw  him  about  to  be  burned  to 
death  by  the  Indians  I  realized  that  I  had  not 
been  showing  the  full  spirit  of  Christ  toward 
him,  and  I  determined  to  change  my  attitude. 
My  kindness  upon  that  occasion  does  not 
seem  to  have  had  any  good  effect  thus 
far,  but  perhaps,  when  I  really  show  him 
that  I  cherish  no  ill  will,  it  may  soften  his 
vindictiveness.” 


136  PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


“I  fear  you  are  wasting  your  kindness.  I 
doubt  if  this  fellow  is  capable  of  appreciat¬ 
ing  it.  It  shows  a  very  bad  spirit  for  him 
to  attempt  your  life  after  you  saved  him 
from  such  a  horrible  fate  at  the  hands  of  the 
Indians.” 

Harold  and  Wesley  had  been  standing 
near  the  pilot  house  and  in  the  gathering 
darkness  did  not  notice  the  form  that  had 
been  silently  stealing  upon  them  in  its  shadow. 
Had  they  noticed,  they  would  have  seen  that 
it  was  Redfield,  who  in  desperation  was  de¬ 
termined  to  make  another  attempt  to  throw 
Harold  overboard.  He  paused  as  he  heard 
them  speak  of  himself. 

“I  do  not  believe  that  is  entirely  true,” 
replied  Harold  to  Wesley’s  observation.  “I 
believe  that  every  man  has  some  good  chord 
in  his  heart  that  will  respond  if  you  can  dis¬ 
cover  and  touch  it.  I  realize  that  I  have  not 
always  been  as  forbearing  with  Redfield  as  a 
Christian  should,  but  from  now  on  I  shall  at 
least  try  to  return  good  for  evil.  I  suspect 
that  he  has  plans  for  making  trouble  for 
General  Oglethorpe  as  well  as  myself,  and  if 
I  should  report  him  to  the  captain  he  would 


THE  POWER  OF  THE  SPIRIT  137 


doubtless  be  put  in  irons,  but  I  shall  not  take 
such  a  step  until  I  have  tried  the  power  of 
kindness.  Had  I  reported  him  when  I  rec¬ 
ognized  him  the  first  day,  he  would  doubtless 
have  been  immediately  confined,  but  that 
would  have  made  him  more  bitter  and  it 
would  have  been  impossible  to  have  ever  in¬ 
fluenced  him  by  kindness.” 

Could  they  have  seen  the  face  of  Redfield 
as  he  listened  to  these  things  they  would  have 
seen  a  remarkable  change  come  over  his  coun¬ 
tenance.  The  expression  of  bitter  hatred 
gradually  melted  away  and  tears  came  to 
his  eyes.  He  turned  and  started  to  steal 
away.  Then  he  paused,  as  if  deliberating. 
Then  he  boldly  stepped  forward  and  spoke 
brokenly  : 

“Harold  Milman,  I  want  to  ask  your  for¬ 
giveness.”  The  two  men  turned  toward  him 
in  astonishment,  and  then  he  continued:  “I 
was  stealing  up  here  with  determination  at 
all  hazards  to  throw  you  overboard  and  thus 
be  rid  of  one  whom  I  thought  to  be  my 
enemy.  When  I  overheard  what  you  have 
just  been  saying  I  began  to  realize  what  a 
miserable  creature  I  have  been  and  how 


138  PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


wickedly  I  have  lived.  Now  I  want  you  to 
tell  me  just  what  it  is  that  makes  a  man 
willing  to  return  good  for  evil  to  one  like 
myself.” 

Harold  stepped  forward  and  grasped 
Redfield’s  hand:  “My  dear  fellow,  I  fear 
I  have  not  been  as  fair  with  you  as  I  should. 
I  know  I  have  done  many  things  to  aggra¬ 
vate  you,  and  have  not  been  helpful  some¬ 
times  when  I  might  have  been,  but  I  have 
been  learning  more  about  Jesus  Christ  and 
I  am  trying  to  do  as  I  believe  He  would  have 
me  do.” 

“Then  you  mean  to  say  that  it  is  being  a 
Christian  that  makes  you  return  good  for 
evil?” 

“Most  assuredly.  Is  not  that  what  Jesus 
Christ  teaches?” 

“Well,  I  have  always  thought  that  those 
people  who  called  themselves  Christians 
were  hypocrites.” 

“Some  few  may  be,  but  all  are  not.” 

“I  am  convinced  that  you,  at  least,  are 
not.  You  well  know  that  I  would  have 
killed  you  if  I  could,  and  yet  you  have  been 
willing  to  speak  a  good  word  for  me.  You 


THE  POWER  OF  THE  SPIRIT  139 


are  the  first  person  that  I  can  remember 
claimed  there  was  any  good  in  Bill  Redfield.” 

“Didn’t  I  tell  you,”  said  Harold,  turning 
to  Wesley,  “that  there  is  a  chord  in  every 
heart  that  will  respond  if  you  can  just  find 
and  touch  it.” 

“But  I  want  you  to  tell  me  more  about  this 
Christianity  which  you  say  makes  men  love 
their  enemies,”  broke  in  Redfield. 

“Mr.  Wesley,  here,  is  a  missionary,”  said 
Harold.  “I  am  sure  he  can  tell  you  better 
about  it  than  I  can.  I  am  just  a  plain 
farmer,  but  he  is  a  preacher.” 

“You  may  not  be  a  preacher,  Harold  Mil- 
man,  but  you  have  a  religion  that  we  plain 
people  can  appreciate,”  exclaimed  Redfield. 

Harold  and  Bill  Redfield  spent  an  hour 
or  more  in  earnest  conversation.  Harold 
explained  to  Redfield,  as  best  he  knew,  the 
great  message  of  Christ  the  Saviour. 

“Yes,  I  believe  I  understand,”  said  Red¬ 
field  at  last,  “but  I  must  think  it  through 
for  myself.  There  is  one  thing  of  which  I 
am  sure :  I  will  be  a  different  man  after  this 
night,  and  it  is  because  I  discovered  that  you 
have  some  real  religion.  You  need  not  fear 


140  PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


me  longer.  I  will  be  your  friend  after  this.” 
Then,  looking  about  to  be  sure  that  there 
was  no  one  near  to  overhear,  he  continued 
in  a  low  tone  :  “I  will  tell  you  another  thing. 
I  came  on  board  this  ship  as  a  spy  for  the 
Spanish.  I  was  so  bitter  against  Oglethorpe 
and  you,  too,  that  I  was  willing  to  do  almost 
anything  for  revenge.  But  I  am  through 
with  that  now.  I  am  going  to  live  an  honest 
life  and  try  to  make  some  amends  for  what 
I  have  done  in  the  past.” 

“My  friend,”  said  Harold,  “you  must  re¬ 
member  that  it  is  not  going  to  be  easy  to 
break  up  the  habits  of  a  lifetime.  You  will 
need  the  grace  of  God  in  your  heart  to  do 
it,  and  remember  that  Jesus  Christ  is  your 
helper.  I  am  going  to  give  you  this  little 
catechism,  which  Pastor  Boltzius  gave  me. 
If  you  will  read  it  carefully  I  am  sure  that 
you  will  find  it  most  helpful.” 

“Thank  you,  my  friend;  I  was  sure  that 
anyone  who  had  as  much  real  religion  as 
you  have  would  know  how  to  help  a  poor 
sinner  like  me.  God  will  bless  you  for  it.” 

As  Redfield  left  Harold  the  moon  was  ris¬ 
ing  and  shedding  its  mellow  light  over  the 


THE  POWER  OF  THE  SPIRIT  141 


gently  rolling  swells  of  the  ocean.  Harold 
gazed  over  the  beautiful  scene.  There  was 
a  peace  in  his  heart  that  he  had  never  known 
before.  Such  beauty  in  the  moonlight  he  had 

never  seen. 

“Most  wonderful  are  Thy  ways,  O  Lord,” 
he  whispered.  “Our  Master  was  indeed 
wise  when  He  taught  us  to  return  good  for 
evil.” 

The  days  of  the  voyage  passed  quickly 
by.  Bill  Redfield  was  beyond  question  a 
different  man.  Gone  was  that  swaggering 
and  boasting  air.  With  meekness  and  humil¬ 
ity  he  would  come  to  Harold  for  an  explana¬ 
tion  on  some  point  in  the  catechism  which  he 
was  carefully  studying.  Slowly*  his  intellect 
seemed  to  grasp  the  higher  things,  and  wider 
visions  came  to  him. 

Each  day  John  Wesley  seemed  to  grow 
more  restless.  He  noted  the  change  that 

had  come  over  Redfield  and  the  sense 
of  peace  and  satisfaction  that  had  come  into 

his  life.  When  they  were  almost  at  the  end 
of  the  voyage  he  came  to  Harold  with  a 
question : 

“Why  is  it  that  you  have  been  able  to 


142  PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


bring  about  such  a  change  in  this  man  Red- 
field,  who  before  was  such  a  hopeless  charac¬ 
ter?  He  seems  to  have  such  perfect  peace 
and  joy,  while  I  am  so  dissatisfied.  I  haven’t 
been  able  to  win  people  to  Christ  as  you  have. 
I  know  there  must  be  something  wrong  in  my 
experience.” 

“It  wasn’t  I  that  made  the  change  in  Bill 
Redfield.  It  was  the  Word  of  God  in  the 
hands  of  the  Holy  Spirit.” 

“Ah,  I  wonder  if  that  is  where  I  have 
been  making  my  mistake?  Have  I  been 
depending  upon  my  own  wisdom  and 
strength  instead  of  trusting  in  God  and  His 
Word?” 

“Yes,  we  always  make  mistakes  when  we 
depend  upon  ourselves.  We  must  depend 
upon  Christ,  and  not  upon  ourselves,  for 
salvation.  Likewise  we  must  depend  upon 
the  Word  of  God  and  the  Holy  Spirit  in 
winning  others  for  Christ.” 

“Harold,  you  should  be  an  out-and-out 
preacher.  I  believe  that  you  know  more 
theology  than  I  do.  Do  you  never  have 
doubts  concerning  your  salvation?” 

“Why  should  I  have  doubts?  Does  not 


THE  POWER  OF  THE  SPIRIT  143 


the  Word  of  God  say,  ‘Believe  on  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  and  thou  shalt  be  saved’?  If 
I  believe,  why  should  I  doubt?” 

“Then  you  simply  depend  upon  what  the 
Word  of  God  says?” 

“Most  assuredly.  Does  not  Luther  tell 
us  that  we  are  simply  to  take  God  at  His 
word?” 

“Oh,  if  I  only  could  do  that.  Some  way 
I  do  not  seem  to  have  confidence.  I  cannot 
be  sure  that  God  has  accepted  me.” 

“Doubt  is  one  of  the  devil’s  best  weapons. 
How  well  he  knows  that  he  has  won  when 
he  can  get  us  to  doubt.  Lay  hold  of  Jesus 
Christ  and  let  Him  drive  away  your  doubts.” 

“I  must  think  this  over  and  talk  with  you 
again,”  said  Wesley,  as  he  left  Harold. 

In  the  hurry  of  the  preparation  for  land¬ 
ing,  Harold  and  John  Wesley  had  no  further 
opportunity  to  continue  their  discussion. 
They  had  already  agreed  to  seek  lodging 
at  the  same  place  when  they  reached  London. 
As  each  had  varying  interests  that  demanded 
their  attention,  it  was  some  weeks  before 
they  finally  met  at  the  agreed-upon  lodging 
place.  In  the  meantime  Harold  had  per- 


144  PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


formed  the  duties  assigned  him  by  General 
Oglethorpe  and  was  ready  to  take  the  first 
ship  sailing  for  America.  When  he  finally 
met  Wesley  he  found  him  in  a  state  of 
despondency.  He  had  organized  a  society, 
the  purpose  of  which  was  to  seek  peace  and 
satisfaction  in  spiritual  communion,  but  Wes¬ 
ley  had  not  yet  attained  for  himself  the  peace 
for  which  he  sought.  He  was  much  cast 
down  by  his  failure  to  experience  the  assur¬ 
ance  of  salvation  which  he  so  much  desired. 
Harold  spent  an  hour  or  more  in  conversa¬ 
tion,  and  in  an  effort  to  cheer  his  friend,  but 
without  success.  Finally,  leaving  Wesley, 
he  went  out  to  a  nearby  shop  to  make  some 
purchases.  It  was  growing  late  in  the  after¬ 
noon  and  he  entered  the  shop  hurriedly.  At 
first  he  did  not  notice  who  were  the  other 
shoppers,  until  he  heard  his  name  spoken  by 
a  familiar  voice.  Looking  up,  he  found  him¬ 
self  face  to  face  with  Redfield.  He  had  not 
seen  Redfield  since  landing  in  England,  and 
he  greeted  him  warmly. 

“What  are  you  planning  to  do  this  eve¬ 
ning?”  asked  Redfield. 

“Nothing  in  particular.” 


THE  POWER  OF  THE  SPIRIT  145 


“Then  I  want  you  to  go  with  me  to  a 
meeting.  I  have  been  attending  religious 
services  with  some  companions,  where  we 
meet  together  for  Bible  study.  We  have 
also  been  reading  the  writings  of  Luther, 
and  have  found  them  very  helpful.  I  have 
been  studying  carefully  Luther’s  catechism, 
which  you  gave  me,  and  I  am  beginning  to 
understand  what  it  means  to  be  a  Christian. 
These  writings  of  Luther  are  making  things 
still  more  plain  to  me.  I  hope  soon  to  be 
fit  to  unite  with  the  Church.” 

“Yes,  I  am  sure  that  I  shall  want  to  go. 
Come  up  to  our  rooms  when  it  is  time  for 
service  and  we  will  see  if  we  can  get  Wesley 
to  go.” 


CHAPTER  XI 


A  Great  Victory 

Promptly  on  time,  Redfield  appeared  at 
the  lodging  place  of  Harold  and  the  Wesleys. 
John  at  first  objected  strenuously  to  attend¬ 
ing  the  meeting.  His  despondent  mood  >vas 
so  pronounced  that  he  seemed  to  have  no 
desire  to  leave  his  room. 

“It  will  do  me  no  good  to  attend  the  serv¬ 
ice,”  he  said.  “I  need  to  get  alone  with 
God.  I  want  to  seek  assurance  of  salvation.” 

“That  is  just  the  way  this  meeting  will 
help  you,”  said  Redfield.  “We  are  studying 
about  these  very  things.  The  writings  of 
Luther  which  we  are  studying  have  made  so 
many  things  clear  to  me  that  I  did  not  under¬ 
stand  before.  If  they  can  help  a  poor,  igno¬ 
rant  man  like  me  why  shouldn’t  they  help  an 
educated  man  like  you  a  great  deal  more? 
You  should  be  able  to  appreciate  and  under¬ 
stand  them  much  better  than  I  can.” 

“Yes,”  said  Harold,  “you  remember,  no 

146 


HE  LANDED  UPON  THE  BACK  OF  THE  SPY 


A  GREAT  VICTORY 


147 


doubt,  that  Luther  had  a  long,  hard  experi¬ 
ence  before  he  secured  that  assurance  of  sal¬ 
vation  which  he  sought,  and  surely  he  can 
help  you.” 

After  much  urging  and  persuasion  Wesley 
finally  agreed  to  accompany  Harold  and 
Redfield  to  the  service.  Even  after  they 
were  on  the  way  he  was  ready  to  turn  back. 
The  nearer  they  came  to  the  place  of  meet¬ 
ing  the  more  earnestly  he  insisted  that  it  was 
useless.  He  maintained  that  it  was  almost 
blasphemous  for  him  to  attend  a  religious 
service  in  his  present  state  of  mind. 

“How  do  you  expect  to  overcome  this 
state  of  mind,”  asked  Harold,  “except  by 
coming  together  with  people  who  will  pray 
with  you  ?” 

It  was  a  rather  peculiar  meeting  to  John 
Wesley.  The  service  consisted  principally 
of  Scripture  readings,  followed  by  commen¬ 
taries  from  the  writings  of  Luther.  On  this 
particular  evening  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans 
was  being  studied.  One  person  read  pas¬ 
sages  from  the  epistle  and  then  another  read 
from  Luther. 

Harold,  Redfield  and  Wesley  entered 


148  PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


quietly  and  sat  in  the  rear  of  the  room.  They 
listened  attentively  to  the  reading.  After 
the  Scripture  had  been  read  and  the  prayer 
offered  a  man  arose  and  began  reading  from 
Luther’s  “Preface  to  the  Epistle  to  the 
Romans.”  Wesley  listened  reverently,  but 
apparently  with  little  interest  at  first.  But 
as  the  meaning  of  the  words  began  to  pene¬ 
trate  his  consciousness  his  attention  was  riv¬ 
eted  more  closely.  As  the  change  which  faith 
works  in  the  life  was  described  Wesley  leaned 
forward  with  eager  interest,  drinking  in  every 
word. 

At  last  the  service  came  to  a  close.  Then 
Wesley  turned  to  Harold  and  Redfield  and 
grasped  each  of  them  by  the  hand.  “You 
have  been  my  good  angels  tonight.  Through 
you  God  brought  me  to  this  place,  that  I 
might  find  that  for  which  I  have  been  so 
long  seeking.  It  is  all  clear  to  me  now. 
Luther  is  right.  It  is  simple  faith  that  we 
all  need.  As  I  listened  to  that  reading  I  felt 
my  heart  strangely  warmed,  and  now  I  know 
that  I  believe  and  that  I  have  the  pardon 
of  my  sins.  I  shall  never  forget  this  day 
and  hour,  May  24,  1738,  a  quarter  before 


A  GREAT  VICTORY 


149 


nine.  I  know  now  that  I  do  trust  Jesus 
Christ  alone.” 

“I  knew  that  if  you  would  only  listen  to 
the  Word  of  God  as  Luther  explains  it,” 
exclaimed  Redfield,  “that  you  would  see  the 
light.  He  makes  everything  so  clear.” 

“Did  1  not  tell  you  that  one  who  had 
passed  through  the  experiences  of  Luther 
could  point  the  way?” 

“Yes,  it  is  all  clear  enough  now,”  said 
Wesley.  “I  only  wonder  that  I  did  not  see 
it  sooner.  I  know  you  have  explained  it  be¬ 
fore,  but  some  way  I  could  not  fully  trust. 
I  shall  tell  the  members  of  our  society  all 
about  it.” 

On  the  street  Redfield  left  them  and  Har¬ 
old  and  Wesley  returned  to  their  lodging 
place. 

As  the  days  passed  Harold  was  anxious  to 
return  to  America.  He  had  executed  the 
commission  given  him  by  Oglethorpe  and 
there  was  no  reason  why  he  should  remain 
longer  in  England.  Upon  inquiry  he  found 
it  would  be  several  weeks  before  a  ship  would 
be  sailing  for  Savannah,  and  now  he  was  at 
a  loss  how  to  employ  his  time  in  the  interval. 


150  PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


His  active  disposition  made  it  quite  impera¬ 
tive  that  he  have  something  to  ocupy  his 
time. 

A  few  days  later  as  he  was  walking  aim¬ 
lessly  along  the  street  he  met  Redfield. 

“I  am  so  glad  I  have  met  you!”  exclaimed 
Redfield.  “I  need  some  advice  badly.”  He 
looked  about  and  lowered  his  voice.  “Come, 
let  us  walk  down  toward  the  river.  I  don’t 
want  anyone  to  overhear  us.” 

“Why?  Is  it  such  a  serious  matter  as 
that?” 

“Yes,  it  really  is  a  serious  matter  for  me. 
You  remember  that  I  told  you  that  when  I 
came  on  board  the  ship  at  Savannah  it  was 
for  the  purpose  of  being  a  spy  for  the  Span¬ 
ish.  Of  course  that  is  all  over  now,  but  I 
find  that  one’s  sins  will  follow  him.” 

“Surely  the  government  officers  are  not 
suspicious  of  you  now,  are  they?” 

“No,  it  is  not  that  bad  yet,  but  I  do  not 
know  what  will  finally  happen.  Of  course 
you  know  that  war  between  England  and 
Spain  is  almost  inevitable,  and  today  I  dis¬ 
covered  that  I  am  not  the  only  spy  that  the 
Spanish  have  sent  to  England.  One  came  to 


A  GREAT  VICTORY 


151 


me  this  morning  who  thinks  I  am  still  work¬ 
ing  for  them,  with  instructions  as  to  what  I 
am  to  do.” 

“Did  you  tell  him  that  you  are  out  of  that 
business?” 

“No,  I  did  not  dare  to  do  that,  and  I  do 
not  know  how  I  am  to  get  out  of  the  predica¬ 
ment  in  which  I  am  placed.  If  I  expose  this 
spy  to  the  government  he  will  doubtless  ex¬ 
pose  me,  and  I  will  scarcely  be  able  to  prove 
my  loyalty  now.  I  shall  find  myself  in  no 
end  of  trouble,  I  fear.” 

“Well,  that  does  look  rather  serious,  I 
must  confess.  But  let  me  think  a  bit.  Per¬ 
haps  we  can  find  a  way  out.” 

They  walked  in  silence  for  a  time  as 
Harold  revolved  the  problem  in  his  mind. 
At  last  he  spoke. 

“I  believe  I  have  it.  We  will  catch  that 
spy  without  letting  him  know  that  you  had 
anything  to  do  with  it.  We  will  not  let  him 
know  that  you  are  not  still  working  for  the 
Spanish.” 

Then  in  low  tones  Harold  outlined  his 
plans.  Redfield  was  to  have  the  spy  come 
to  his  lodging  at  an  appointed  time.  Then 


152  PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


Harold,  with  some  officers,  would  make  a 
raid.  After  they  had  secured  the  Spaniard 
it  would  be  very  easy  for  Harold  to  allow 
Redfield  to  escape. 

“In  that  way,”  continued  Harold,  “we 
will  not  only  rid  you  of  this  unwelcome  fel¬ 
low,  but  we  will  also  render  a  real  service 
to  our  country.” 

The  means  of  notifying  Harold  of  the 
time  when  the  scheme  could  be  carried  out 
having  been  arranged,  they  separated.  Har¬ 
old  at  once  sought  some  government  officers 
whose  acquaintance  he  had  made  while  en¬ 
gaged  in  his  mission  for  Oglethorpe.  They 
at  once  agreed  to  give  their  assistance  in  the 
plan  which  Harold  outlined  to  them. 

Day  after  day  passed  without  any  mes¬ 
sage  from  Redfield.  Harold  had  seen 
nothing  of  him  since  the  day  he  had  told 
him  of  the  Spanish  spy.  Finally  he  became 
uneasy  concerning  Redfield’s  safety  and  made 
inquiries  for  him  at  his  lodging  place.  How¬ 
ever,  he  was  told  that  he  had  changed  his 
lodgings  some  days  previously.  No  one  was 
able  to  give  him  information  as  to  where  he 
had  gone.  At  this  he  became  suspicious.  He 


A  GREAT  VICTORY 


153 


feared  that  some  pressure  had  been  brought 
to  bear  upon  the  man  to  bring  him  back 
into  the  service  of  the  Spanish. 

It  was  while  he  was  revolving  these  sus¬ 
picious  thoughts  in  his  mind  as  he  slowly 
walked  back  to  his  own  lodging  place  that 
he  was  stopped  by  a  small  boy,  who  inquired 
if  he  were  Harold  Milman.  On  being  as¬ 
sured  that  he  was  the  person  the  boy  thrust 
a  note  into  his  hand  and  quickly  disappeared. 
He  opened  the  note  and  read  the  hastily 
scrawled  message : 

Tonight  between  ten  and  midnight  in  the  rooms 
above  where  the  religious  services  are  held.  Do  not 
fail.  My  life  depends  upon  it.  Redfield. 

It  did  not  take  Harold  long  to  compre¬ 
hend  the  meaning.  Redfield  was  not  false 
after  all,  but  it  was  evident  that  he  was  in 
imminent  danger.  Harold  had  learned  to 
act  quickly  in  an  emergency.  Without  tak¬ 
ing  time  to  return  to  his  lodging  place  he  at 
once  started  in  search  of  the  officers  with 
whom  he  had  made  the  plans.  At  their 
lodging  place  he  learned  that  they  were  on  an 
errand  in  another  part  of  the  city.  Imme- 


154  PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


diately  Harold  went  in  search  of  them.  Ar¬ 
riving  at  the  place  where  they  had  been  en¬ 
gaged,  he  found  that  they  had  left  just  a 
few  moments  before.  Without  losing  a 
moment,  he  went  in  pursuit  of  them.  It  was 
already  growing  late,  and  if  he  did  not  soon 
get  in  touch  with  them  it  would  be  too  late 
to  reach  the  place  designated  by  Redfield. 
Harold  walked  rapidly.  He  was  confident 
as  to  where  the  men  whom  he  was  seeking 
were  bound.  It  was  simply  a  question  of 
being  able  to  overtake  them. 

He  was  almost  out  of  breath  from  his 
pursuit  when  he  caught  sight  of  the  forms  of 
the  officers  passing  a  street  lamp.  He  filled 
his  lungs  with  air  and  pressed  forward  at 
the  utmost  speed.  At  last  he  overtook  them. 

“Hello,  greeted  one  of  the  men  as  he 
came  up  out  of  breath. 

“I  am  glad  I  have  caught  you  at  last,” 
panted  Harold. 

“Why?  What  is  up  now?” 

“Tonight  is  the  time  for  that  enterprise 
of  which  I  told  you.” 

“We  had  begun  to  think  that  was  all  off.” 

“Not  by  any  means.  Read  that,”  said 


A  GREAT  VICTORY 


155 


Harold,  thrusting  Redfield’s  note  into  his 
hand. 

“Where  is  that  meeting  place?”  he  asked 
as  he  glanced  over  the  note. 

Harold  gave  the  location. 

“Well,  we  will  have  to  hurry  or  we  will 
be  too  late.” 

At  once  Harold  and  the  two  officers  set 
out  for  the  place  which  Redfield  had  indi¬ 
cated.  It  was  approaching  midnight  when 
they  reached  the  building.  There  had  been 
an  unusually  lengthy  meeting  that  night  and 
some  of  the  worshipers  were  just  leaving  the 
hall  as  they  came  up.  There  were  no  lights 
visible  from  the  windows  of  the  rooms  above 
and  Harold  began  to  wonder  if  they  would, 
after  all,  find  their  men  still  here.  Quietly 
they  mounted  the  stairway.  All  seemed  dark 
and  silent  until  at  the  farther  end  of  the 
passage  a  faint  line  of  light  was  seen  under 
a  door.  Harold  and  the  two  officers  cau¬ 
tiously  approached.  As  they  did  so  they 
heard  voices  within.  The  voices  were  low, 
but  evidently  a  bitter  dispute  was  going  on. 
As  Harold  put  his  ear  to  the  door  he  heard 
a  strange  voice  say  sharply:  “We  have  given 


156  PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


you  a  week  already  and  you  haven’t  followed 
instructions.” 

“Yes,  that  is  true,”  was  the  quiet  reply  in 
a  voice  that  he  recognized  as  Redfield’s,  “but 
you  must  remember  that  one  needs  to  work 
carefully  in  these  matters.” 

“There  is  no  need  of  being  so  careful 
that  you  do  not  do  anything.  I’ll  give  you 
some  reason  to  be  afraid  if  you  do  not  get 
results  pretty  quickly.  I  guess  you  do  not 
want  someone  to  drop  a  hint  to  the  officers 
that  you  are  a  Spanish  spy.” 

Redfield’s  reply  was  too  indistinct  for 
Harold  to  understand,  but  it  evidently 
angered  the  other,  for  there  followed  sounds 
of  a  struggle.  Without  waiting  longer  the 
three  men  hurled  themselves  against  the 
door,  which  at  once  gave  way.  In  the  midst 
of  the  room  was  Redfield  engaged  in  an  un¬ 
equal  combat  with  a  powerful  antagonist. 
The  crash  of  the  door  caused  the  men  to 
pause.  As  the  burly  Spanish  spy  caught 
sight  of  the  uniformed  officers  he  made  a 
dash  to  escape.  The  first  officer  was  thrown 
aside  by  the  desperate  rush,  but  the  second 
grappled  with  him.  His  onrush  was  so  de- 


A  GREAT  VICTORY 


157 


termined  that  the  officer  was  forced  out  into 
the  hallway,  and  in  a  moment  the  spy  would 
have  been  free.  Harold  had  first  turned  to 
Redfield  to  see  if  he  had  been  seriously  in¬ 
jured  in  the  combat,  but,  seeing  that  the  spy 
was  about  to  make  good  his  escape,  wheeled 
about  just  as  the  two  struggling  men  stag¬ 
gered  out  of  the  door.  With  a  leap  he 
landed  upon  the  back  of  the  spy  and  bore 
him  to  the  floor.  The  first  officer  had  now 
recovered  and  rushed  into  the  conflict.  The 
spy  struggled  desperately,  but  after  a  few 
minutes  was  securely  bound. 

After  they  had  secured  their  prisoner  the 
men  looked  about  the  room.  A  number  of 
documents  were  found  which  gave  conclu¬ 
sive  proof  of  the  character  of  the  activities 
in  which  the  fellow  was  engaged. 

“Where  is  the  other  fellow?”  asked  one 
of  the  officers,  looking  about. 

Redfield  had  completely  disappeared. 

“Well,  I  guess  we  have  the  principal  one, 
anyway,”  said  the  other  officer. 

Harold  made  no  comment  on  the  disap¬ 
pearance  of  Redfield,  but  assured  the  officers 
that  they  had  made  an  important  capture. 


158  PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


It  was  almost  morning  when  Harold 
reached  his  lodging  place.  For  a  time  the 
exciting  events  through  which  he  had  passed 
kept  him  awake,  but  just  as  it  was  beginning 
to  grow  light  he  fell  asleep.  His  physical 
weariness  caused  him  to  sleep  soundly.  He 
was  aroused  by  Wesley  calling  him. 

“Redfield  wishes  to  see  you.” 

Harold  sat  up  in  bed  and  discovered  that 
it  was  near  the  middle  of  the  forenoon. 

“Redfield?”  he  asked  dazedly.  Then  the 
events  of  the  past  night  came  to  him  like  a 
flash.  “Tell  him  to  come  right  in.”  Harold 
hastily  dressed  and  when  Redfield  came  in 
closed  the  door  carefully. 

“Well,  we  carried  that  matter  through  in 
good  shape !” 

“Yes,”  replied  Redfield;  “you  came  just 
in  time.  I  believe  that  fellow  would  have 
killed  me.  He  began  to  suspect  that  I  wasn’t 
going  to  work  for  the  Spanish  any  more.” 

“He’ll  not  bother  you  now,  I  guess.” 

“I  want  to  ask  your  advice  again.  I  have 
some  information  that  will  be  of  importance 
to  Oglethorpe.  What  shall  I  do  about  it?” 


CHAPTER  XII 


Home  Again 

Harold  looked  Redfield  steadily  in  the 
eye.  “Are  you  willing  to  do  whatever  will 
be  of  the  greatest  service  to  Oglethorpe?5' 

Redfield  returned  the  look  with  just  as 
steady  an  eye.  “I  don’t  blame  you  to  doubt 
my  willingness  to  help  Oglethorpe,  but  I  as¬ 
sure  you  this  is  a  different  Redfield  from  the 
one  who  left  Savannah  a  few  weeks  ago.  I 
am  ready  to  do  anything  I  can  to  atone  for 
what  I  have  done  in  the  past.” 

“No,  Redfield,  that  isn’t  what  I  doubt, 
but  are  you  really  willing  to  go  back  to 
Savannah  ?” 

“If  that  is  what  I  ought  to  do  I  am  ready 
to  go.” 

“Then  you  go  with  me.  I  expect  to  go 
on  the  first  ship  that  sails.  You  will  be  safer 
in  Savannah  than  in  London  anyway.  If  I 
mistake  not  there  are  other  Spanish  spies 
here  in  London  as  well  as  the  one  we  have 

159 


160  PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


captured,  and  if  they  suspect  you  they  will 
find  some  way  to  make  trouble  for  you.” 

“Yes,  you  are  right  in  that.  Will  you 
vouch  for  me  if  I  offer  my  services  to  Ogle¬ 
thorpe?  He  has  plenty  of  reason  to  be  sus¬ 
picious  of  me.” 

“Most  assuredly.” 

“Then  I  will  go  with  you  and  tell  Ogle¬ 
thorpe  just  what  the  Spanish  are  planning. 
Unless  he  is  prepared,  they  may  be  able  to 
make  considerable  trouble  for  his  colony.” 

At  last  the  day  arrived  for  the  sailing  of 
the  ship  for  Savannah.  Harold  and  Red- 
held  were  among  the  passengers.  They 
soon  discovered  that  the  company  was  made 
up  partly  of  colonists  and  partly  of  soldiers 
who  had  been  enlisted  for  service  under 
Oglethorpe  during  the  coming  war.  Harold 
was  not  long  in  learning  that  the  colonists 
intended  to  join  the  Salzburg  settlement  at 
Ebenezer.  The  news  of  the  prosperity  of 
the  settlers  under  Boltzius  had  reached 
Europe  and  others  were  now  anxious  to  join 
them. 

The  voyage  was  without  special  incident 
and  the  vessel  made  a  remarkably  quick  trip. 


HOME  AGAIN 


161 


Harold  was  delighted  to  view  again  the 
buildings  of  Savannah  as  the  vessel  sailed 
up  the  river.  It  had  been  but  a  short  time 
since  he  had  left  America,  but  so  much  had 
happened  in  the  meantime  that  it  seemed  al¬ 
most  like  years  since  he  had  sailed  for  Eng¬ 
land. 

Oglethorpe  was  at  the  landing  to  welcome 
the  ship.  He  was  somewhat  surprised  to 
see  Harold  and  Redfield  disembark  to¬ 
gether. 

“Well,  where  did  you  find  this  fellow?” 
demanded  Oglethorpe  rather  sternly. 

“We  will  tell  you  all  about  it  when  you 
have  time  to  listen  to  our  story,”  replied 
Harold.  “When  may  we  confer  with  you?” 

“Meet  me  at  my  residence  in  about  two 
hours.” 

As  Oglethorpe  was  busy  with  matters  con¬ 
nected  with  the  ship’s  landing,  Harold  and 
Redfield,  after  looking  after  their  own  be¬ 
longings,  took  a  walk  along  the  streets  of 
Savannah.  Harold  met  a  number  of 
friends,  but  none  of  Redfield’s  old  compan¬ 
ions  seemed  to  be  in  the  colony.  Among 
others,  they  met  one  of  the  Ebenezer  set- 


162  PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


tiers.  Harold  learned  that  his  father, 
mother  and  sister  were  in  their  usual  health, 
and  that  affairs  in  the  settlement  were  taking 
their  ordinary  course. 

At  the  appointed  hour  Harold  and  Red- 
field  appeared  at  Oglethorpe’s  residence. 
The  governor  at  first  gave  evidence  of  an 
intention  of  being  stern  with  Redfield,  for 
he  had  not  forgotten  the  activities  in  which 
he  had  formerly  been  engaged. 

Harold  told  the  whole  story,  simply  but 
vividly.  Oglethorpe  listened  with  reverent 
attention  to  the  account  of  Redfield’s  con¬ 
version  as  Harold  gave  it  and  the  part  he 
had  taken  in  helping  John  Wesley  to  reach 
his  perfect  assurance  of  salvation. 

“Ah,”  broke  in  Oglethorpe  as  Harold  fin¬ 
ished  the  account  of  Wesley’s  experience, 
“that  was  certainly  a  good  deed!  Wesley 
is  a  good  man,  but  he  was  so  discontented 
with  himself.  That  was  the  one  thing  that 
seemed  to  stand  in  the  way  of  his  success  as 
a  minister.  Doubtless  he  will  now  do  a  great 
work,  for  he  has  remarkable  ability.  You 
say  he  seemed  to  see  the  light  while  listening 
to  the  reading  of  some  of  Luther’s  writings?” 


HOME  AGAIN 


163 


“Yes,”  replied  Harold;  “that  seemed  to 
make  Christian  experience  clear  to  him.” 

“Then  that  must  explain  the  success  of 
our  Ebenezer  settlement.  Boltzius  seems  to 
depend  a  great  deal  upon  Luther’s  teachings, 
and  all  of  the  colonists  there  seem  such  de¬ 
voted  Christian  characters,  and  Ebenezer  is 
the  most  prosperous  settlement  in  the  whole 
colony.” 

“Yes,  that  is  quite  true,  I  am  sure.” 

Then  Harold  continued  his  account,  tell¬ 
ing  of  Redfield’s  experience  with  the  spy. 
Oglethorpe  listened  breathlessly.  As  Harold 
finished  he  turned  questioningly  to  Redfield, 
who  at  once  proceeded  to  give  what  informa¬ 
tion  he  had  concerning  the  plans  of  the 
Spanish. 

“It  all  turns  out  just  as  I  had  suspected,” 
said  Oglethorpe.  “It  is  well  that  I  took  steps 
to  raise  troops  for  just  such  an  emergency. 
Now  that  we  know  just  what  the  Spanish  are 
planning  we  can  act  accordingly.  Mr.  Red- 
field,”  he  continued,  grasping  him  by  the 
hand,  “there  is  more  manhood  in  you  than  I 
thought.” 

“There  wouldn’t  have  been  any  manhood 


164  PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


in  me  at  all,”  replied  Redfield,  “had  not 
young  Milman  here  led  me  to  Christ.  Jesus 
can  make  men  out  of  very  poor  material,  and 
I  certainly  was  poor  material.” 

“Ah,  how  true  it  is  that  Jesus  can  make 
men  out  of  poor  material!”  mused  Ogle¬ 
thorpe.  “We  all  need  to  appreciate  that  fact 
more  fully.” 

Harold  then  gave  an  account  of  the  mis¬ 
sion  he  had  performed  for  Oglethorpe.  All 
that  he  had  done  met  the  governor’s  ap¬ 
proval,  who  warmly  commended  him  for  his 
faithfulness  and  judgment. 

During  the  following  weeks  Oglethorpe 
busied  himself  making  preparations  for  the 
coming  conflict  with  the  Spanish.  Redfield 
rendered  most  valuable  assistance. 

The  colonists  who  were  to  join  the  Ebene- 
zer  settlement  were  placed  under  the  super¬ 
vision  of  Harold,  who  was  to  conduct  them 
to  their  destination.  He  secured  a  number 
of  boats  and  made  the  trip  by  water,  and 
thus  saved  the  hard  labor  of  carrying  their 
goods  by  land.  Boltzius  welcomed  the  new 
recruits  for  the  settlement  most  heartily.  He 
well  knew  the  hardships  which  they  had  en- 


HOME  AGAIN 


165 


dured  and  how  grateful  they  would  be  for 
any  kindness  shown  them. 

jlf  nU  *lf 

^  T  T  ^  T  ^ 

Four  years  have  passed  since  Harold 
Milman  made  his  trip  to  England,  which 
had  been  attended  by  such  varied  and  re¬ 
markable  experiences.  He  is  now  in  strong 
and  vigorous  manhood.  His  sister,  Agnes, 
has  relieved  her  mother  entirely  of  the  bur¬ 
dens  of  the  home.  The  farm,  which  had 
been  cleared  in  the  forest,  supports  them  in 
what  to  the  pioneers  is  luxury.  The  father 
now  takes  life  in  comparative  ease. 

The  war  which  Oglethorpe  had  waged 
against  the  Spanish  has  now  come  to  a  close 
and  tranquility  rests  upon  the  colony.  In 
the  war  Redfield  had  proven  of  invaluable 
assistance  to  Oglethorpe  and  had  won  his 
warmest  commendation  and  praise.  He  was 
now  holding  an  important  official  position  at 
Savannah,  where  he  had  become  noted  for 
his  earnest  and  successful  efforts  to  win  men 
for  Christ,  and  was  one  of  the  active  mem¬ 
bers  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

‘i'  4*  *1* 

-T*  t  -T*  -T* 

The  day’s  work  had  just  come  to  a  close, 


166  PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


and  the  Milman  family  were  sitting  in  the 
shade  of  the  veranda  which  Mr.  Milman  and 
Harold  had  recently  built  to  the  house,  when 
Pastor  Boltzius  came  up. 

“Here  is  a  letter  for  you,  Harold,”  he 
said,  “which  has  just  come  up  from 
Savannah.  It  is  from  England.” 

“Ah,”  said  Harold,  “I  wonder  who  can  be 
writing  to  me  from  England?” 

He  broke  the  seal  and  glanced  through  it 
hastily. 

“It  is  from  John  Wesley.  Sit  down,  pas¬ 
tor,  and  I  will  read  it.  I  am  sure  you  will 
all  be  interested  in  hearing  from  our  friend.” 

Dear  Friend  Harold: 

These  are  busy  days  for  me,  but  I  cannot  help 
thinking  of  you  sometimes.  The  past  four  years  have 
meant  much  to  me,  and  I  am  sure  that  I  owe  much 
of  it  to  you  and  our  common  friend,  Mr.  Redfield. 
From  that  night  when  we  attended  that  meeting  to¬ 
gether,  where  we  heard  “Luther’s  Commentary  on 
the  Epistle  to  the  Romans”  read,  my  religious  experi¬ 
ence  has  been  deep  and  full.  Never  since  that  time 
have  I  had  reason  to  doubt  the  love  of  God  and  His 
forgiveness  of  my  sin.  Ever  since  that  night  I  have 
had  the  continual  witness  of  the  Spirit  in  my  heart. 

Since  you  left  England  I  have  been  to  the  continent 
and  visited  Count  Zinzendorf  at  Herrenhut.  Ah, 
there  is  a  great  man  for  you!  He  is  one  who  knows 
how  to  trust  God.  You  should  see  the  wonderful 


HOME  AGAIN 


167 


work  he  is  doing  there.  He  speaks  of  coming  to 
America  sometime.  If  he  does  you  should  make  it  a 
point  to  meet  him.  He  will  do  you  good. 

I,  too,  have  undertaken  work  here  in  England, 
which,  I  believe,  is  especially  favored  of  God.  Sin¬ 
ners  and  churchmen  who  have  not  the  Spirit  of  God 
in  their  hearts  rave  against  it,  but  we  are  going  right 
on.  We  have  been  organizing  societies  and  preach¬ 
ing  to  great  throngs  of  people.  The  Holy  Spirit  seems 
to  fall  upon  them,  and  many  are  coming  to  know 
salvation. 

The  special  thing  which  I  wished  to  tell  you  in 
this  letter  is,  that  in  the  eyes  of  God  you  have  had  a 
part  in  this  great  work.  It  was  through  you  that  Mr. 
Redfield  was  brought  to  Christ.  It  was  through  you 
and  him  together  that  I  was  induced  to  attend  that 
meeting  on  the  evening  of  May  24,  1738,  where  I  heard 
‘  Luther’s  Commentary”  read,  which  made  salvation 
clear  to  me.  All  that  I  have  accomplished  is  due  to 
the  experience  of  that  night.  I  owe  to  Luther  the 
making  clear  the  way  of  salvation,  but  I  owe  to  you, 
more  than  anyone  else,  the  hearing  of  those  words  of 
Luther. 

I  trust  that  you  are  still  as  active  in  bringing  the 
knowledge  of  God’s  Word  to  others  as  you  have  been 
in  the  past.  I  am  sure  that  Pastor  Boltzius  appreciates 
your  help  and  assistance. 

Give  my  kindest  regards  to  Pastor  Boltzius  and  to 
your  father,  mother  and  sister. 

Sincerely,  your  friend, 

John  Wesley. 

When  Harold  finished  reading  the  letter 
the  others  remained  silent  for  a  moment. 
“John  Wesley  is  a  good  man,”  said  Bolt- 


168  PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


zius  finally,  “but  he  has  evidently  changed 
greatly  since  he  was  here  in  America.  I  can 
scarcely  imagine  him  doing  the  work  which 
he  describes.  He  was  such  a  conservative 
high  churchman  when  he  was  here.” 

“Yes,  Wesley  has  certainly  changed,” 
answered  Harold,  “and  the  change  is  due, 
as  he  says,  to  the  influence  of  Luther.  It 
took  Luther’s  clear  spiritual  reasoning  to 
lead  him  into  the  light.” 

“Yes,  I  remember  Wesley  well,”  said  Mrs. 
Milman,  “when  he  came  to  see  us  just  be¬ 
fore  we  came  to  America.  He  was  most 
assuredly  a  good  man,  but  some  of  his  views 
were  quite  peculiar.  I  am  certainly  glad  that 
he  has  been  led  into  a  deeper  Christian 
experience.” 

“Wesley  has  good,  sound  common  sense,” 
said  Boltzius,  “when  once  he  sees  the  truth 
he  can  be  relied  upon  to  keep  steady;  but  I 
fear  that  many  of  his  followers  will  be  led 
into  fanatical  extravagances.  Emotional 
people  are  inclined  to  go  to  extremes  and 
get  beyond  the  bounds  of  reason  unless  there 
is  a  strong  hand  to  restrain  them.  Luther  had 
just  that  trouble  with  some  from  Zwickau, 


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169 


who  even  went  so  far  as  to  claim  for  them¬ 
selves  prophetical  powers,  and  were  led  into 
wild  extravagances.  It  was  only  the  strong 
common  sense  of  Luther  that  saved  the 
Reformation  at  that  time  from  destruction 
by  its  over-zealous  friends.” 

“I  trust  that  Wesley  will  show  the  same 
strength  and  common  sense  that  Luther  did,” 
said  Harold.  “England  certainly  needs  to 
be  stirred  in  spiritual  things,  and  Wesley 
seems  well  started  on  a  course  that  will  result 
in  such  a  stirring  if  the  movement  which  he 
is  leading  can  be  saved  from  the  fanaticism 
which  you  fear.” 

“Wesley  is  a  strong  man,”  said  Boltzius, 
“but  still  I  fear  for  the  movement  which  he 
has  started.  But  God  I  am  sure  will  know 
how  to  make  all  things  work  together  for 
good.” 

After  some  further  conversation  Boltzius 
took  his  departure.  As  darkness  began  to 
gather  the  lights  began  to  shine  from  the 
dwellings  of  the  village.  Quiet  restfulness 
seemed  to  brood  over  the  settlement. 

“What  are  you  thinking  of,  wife?”  said 
Mr.  Milman  after  the  little  group  on  the 


170  PATHS  IN  THE  WILDERNESS 

veranda  had  been  silent  for  a  time.  “Why 
are  you  so  silent  this  evening?” 

“I  was  just  thinking  of  ten  years  ago  back  < 
in  England.  How  cast  down  and  discouraged 
we  were  at  that  time!  We  seemed  to  be 
wandering  then,  lost  in  a  pathless  wilderness. 
But  God  has  certainly  been  good  to  us  and 
brought  us  safely  through  all  our  difficulties. 
We  surely  should  be  grateful  to  Him  for 
directing  us  to  these  shores.  How  happy  we 
now  are,  and  how  bright  seems  to  future !” 

“Yes,”  replied  Mr.  Milman,  “I,  too,  was 
thinking  of  that  time.  The  wilderness  be¬ 
fore  us  was  just  as  pathless  as  was  this 
when  we  first  came.  As  our  strong  arms 
have  made  paths  in  this  wilderness  so  God 
has  made  paths  in  the  wilderness  of  our 
misfortunes.” 

“Come,  Agnes,  let  us  take  a  stroll,”  said 
Harold. 

As  the  brother  and  sister  strolled  out 
under  the  twinkling  stars  they,  too,  talked  of 
the  past,  but  their  youthful  spirits  turned 
their  vision  more  toward  the  future. 

“Agnes,”  said  Harold,  “I  believe  the  Lord 
wants  me  to  be  a  minister.  There  are  paths 


HOME  AGAIN 


171 


in  the  wilderness  of  sin  for  me  to  clear,  and 
I  feel  that  He  is  calling  me  to  that  task.  I 
have  been  talking  to  Pastor  Boltzius  about 
it,  and  he  is  willing  to  help  me  in  my  studies.” 

“Harold,  I  should  be  very  proud  to  have 
a  brother  in  that  high  calling,”  replied  the 
girl. 


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